Edward Atkinson was born in Houston in 1989. The summer before he started seventh grade, he began playing percussion and taking lessons with acclaimed local percussionist Sam Dinkins, in an attempt to enter the Lanier Middle School band at the intermediate level, rather than spend a year playing Mary Had a Little Lamb and Jingle Bells. The effort paid off, and Edward was quickly moved into the advanced Lanier band, which boasted some of the worst percussion equipment in the United States. Dreams of instruments which wouldn't need to be repaired with rubber bands and shoestrings led Edward to HSPVA. He is currently working on a percussion piece which will be accompanied by strings.