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Harvey Fitzer

Harvey Fitzer Adjunct Professor

Guitar
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Harvey Fitzer is a professor at Johnson County Community College, where he teaches guitar, ukulele, harmonica and History of Rock and Roll. He provides individual and group private guitar lessons and provides video instruction online. Harvey is also the service guitarist at Asbury Church in Prairie Village.

Harvey aspires to enjoy life with his family and friends. Harvey has a passion for sharing his love of music through teaching and performing. He strives to improve his skills as a musician and teacher. He learns from his students how to be an effective communicator of music.

Harvey originally hails from New York City, where he earned his music degree at Lehman College. He has also studied at Queens College. While in New York, Harvey studied with renowned 20th century composer John Corigliano and has studied privately with influential jazz guitarist Chuck Wayne. Harvey specializes in improvisational music.

Harvey created the “History of Rock and Roll” program and class at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, and he created and implemented the guitar program at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida.

Harvey has played on stage in professional bands since he was 15 years old. His appearances include well-known venues such as The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, New York City, (where Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, and Simon and Garfunkel have played) and Sloppy Joe’s in Key West (where Ernest Hemingway used to hang out). He has opened up in concert for the famous reggae musician Peter Tosh at the University of Florida and has played with Screaming Jay Hawkins, the composer of “I Put A Spell On You,” a song selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Harvey has played in well-known venues in the Midwest, including Kansas City’s Record Bar and Knuckleheads Saloon.

Harvey is a composer of many songs recorded and performed by the bands The Stand and Drunkard’s Dream, also serving as their lead vocalist and guitarist. Harvey currently plays in a Grateful Dead tribute band, KC Bones.