September 12th, 2007, was an ordinary day in Silver Spring, MD. However, for the Harris family it was an extraordinary day because Pastor Lonnie Harris and his wife April welcomed twin daughters. One of those daughters was Joelle Harris, who was born two minutes before her twin, Mikayla. They were now a family of five including their son Nathaniel who was three at the time.
Joelle grew up surrounded by music. Her father is the Worship Leader at Forcey Bible Church in Silver Spring and plays the guitar and the trumpet. Her mother and grandmother both play the piano and sing. Her twin sister plays the piano, and her older brother plays the trumpet. Even her aunt is musical and plays the French Horn. Joelle never knew a world without music and learned to play both the piano and the trumpet at an early age. She learned the trumpet in elementary school band, where she played from 4th through 6th grade. Her first and only piano teacher is Dr. Carol Yampolsky Christian, who is a retired concert pianist who studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. Dr. Yampolsky has toured the world and performed at Carnegie Hall. She has also served as an associate professor of piano at Howard University in DC. Joelle has studied piano with her since the age of 7 and continues to do so. At 18, Joelle is currently a homeschooled high school student. After graduating in May, she plans to move to Lynchburg, VA, in the fall to study instrumental music at Liberty University. She intends to pursue a career in piano and trumpet performance.
Because they attend the same church and both play every Sunday in the church orchestra, Vice President Carol Henry saw Joelle’s potential and jumped on the opportunity to introduce her to the AMSF as soon as she turned 18 in September 2025. Carol knew that for a performance major, the performance opportunities offered by the AMSF would be invaluable. With Carol’s persuasive encouragement Joelle joined the AMSF in October 2025, thus becoming the youngest member to date. Joelle plunged right in and began performing at Community Outreach recitals playing advanced piano pieces like Debussy’s Claire de Lune and Mozart’s Fantasia in D minor from memory. She loved the opportunity that the AMSF provided to interact with other musicians and hear their stories. Though she will be away at university for a few years, Joelle plans to maintain her AMSF membership so that she can still participate when she returns home every summer.
Joelle’s music activities outside the AMSF are numerous. She is active in the music ministry at Forcey Bible Church where she plays trumpet in the orchestra, plays the piano and sings on the Praise Team, and leads the worship band for her youth group on Sunday nights. She also plays hand bells occasionally and is teaching herself to play the guitar. Her goal is to learn as many instruments as possible. Her love for music was nurtured by her piano teacher, Dr. Yampolsky, who has had the biggest impact on her life. Joelle says, “If not for her, I probably would not have discovered the beauty of music. As I continued to learn more about music and as I was exposed to more pieces, I fell more and more in love with music.” Joelle’s favorite composer is Beethoven because his music makes her heart happy, and she sees the beauty in every one of his compositions.
Joelle’s life revolves around music but when she is not practicing or performing, she enjoys gardening and, in her words, “anything crafty” (including drawing, painting, crochet, knitting, sewing and embroidery). As busy as she is, Joelle still finds the time to give back to the community and she leads a Pioneer group for girls (Pre-K – 6th grade) that meets at the church on Thursday nights. The program provides girls with an opportunity to form healthy Christian friendships to last a lifetime, learn how to apply Biblical principles to everyday situations, memorize Scripture, and develop life skills in a safe and fun environment.
Joelle’s advice to aspiring musicians displays a wisdom beyond her years. She says, “Although I am a young aspiring musician myself, I would advise any musician to practice, practice, practice! Practice not only the songs you want to play, but also technique. Having a strong technical backbone will enable you to learn and play a new piece much quicker and easier. Be devoted and intentional with your practice!”