M.Mus (UofT) in-progress
B.Mus (Eastman)
Gordon is a percussionist and educator interested in performing, creating, and engaging within a multitude of musical styles, invested in how music might be embodied in a variety of forms through joyful exploration.
From Tampa, Florida, Gordon became acquainted with music through piano lessons, eventually moving on to drum set and marching percussion in high school. In 2019, Gordon completed his undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of Michael Burritt. At Eastman Gordon performed and premiered works with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Eastman Percussion Ensemble, and Musica Nova in addition to serving for two years on the board of the student-led new music ensemble, Ossia.
He is also interested in the intersection between music and technology and has contributed to creative projects with the Eastman Audio Research Studio and the University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble.
Gordon is currently working towards completing his Master’s degree at the University of Toronto under the instruction of Aiyun Huang.
Get to know Gordon…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, watching movies, reading, spending time outside, tossing a frisbee and playing Spikeball
Musical influences: Rush, Mutemath, Max Roach, My Brightest Diamond, Son Lux, Rachel Podger, Michael Burritt, Steve Schick, Paul Rennick, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Jess Ray, Mark Andre…
Favourite food: Kanafeh (Middle-Eastern dessert)
Least favourite food: Brussel sprouts
Favourite music: Rock, Jazz, Contemporary Classical, Indie-folk, Electronic
Favourite song: One favorite is Humble Heart by Jess Ray
Favourite movie: Another favorite is Tree of Life by Terrence Malick
Favourite movie music: Bernard Herman in Vertigo, Ennio Morricone in Once Upon a Time in the West
Favourite musical theatre/opera: Hamilton, Invisible Cities by Christopher Cerrone
Best quote from your teacher: “Listen…”
Favourite quote: Romans 8:37-39
Favourite book: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Sharing music with the students.
Latest Homework from Gordon
Is Gordon Your Teacher?
Sign up now to get your weekly assignments delivered, and never lose your homework sheet again!
April 27th Assignments
Lucas
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: This week Lucas I want you to keep playing the beats for Lesson 7
How to practice effectively: For Lesson 7, keep hacking at these a little bit more. Remember that its ok to go slowly and stop and start when you’re practicing, but when you’re playing for real you need to be able to make mistakes and keep going so make sure to practice the beats without stopping too.
Awesome job today, looking forward to next week!
Jonah
How many minutes to practice: 30
What to practice: This week Jonah I want you to record Ride by Twenty-One Pilots for the May 10th recital if possible.
How to practice effectively: The video is due Sunday the 8th so find some time with your mom and use your ipad to follow the steps I gave you. Let me know if you get stuck or have any problems!
Super excited to hear your video!
Samson
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: Your assignment this week Samson is to work through all of Todd Rundgren’s It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference so that we can record it next week in the lesson. Here is the UPDATED TRANSCRIPTION.
How to practice effectively: But as for finishing up It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference, its all coming together pretty nicely! At this point you’re ready to start playing the song without the music so try and only use the sheet to refresh your memory. Play with the song a lot and make sure that you’re not slowing down in the transitions. Remember to keep the triplets tight and listen to make sure you’re playing in time with the song. Next week we’ll keep trucking through it and hopefully finish. Also here is my video about the last fill if you still need it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dpRnvgQnxVGb170Cutx89abLskSNlVOc/view?usp=sharing
Awesome to hear all your creative ideas!
Sam
How many minutes to practice: 30
What to practice: This week Sam I want you to keep practicing the Lesson 5 beats with the hi-hat variations, and start taking a look at Anderson .Paak’s Heart Don’t Stand a Chance.
How to practice effectively: For the Lesson 5 beats take your time. Go slowly at first. If you need to try only a couple limbs together at first before putting it all together thats fine. Experiment with different ways of breaking it down if you get stuck. Practice till the point where you can stop and start the hi-hat notes without losing time. Don’t worry about a metronome, just focus on breaking each beat down the way we did in the lessons and add the hi-hat foot on the quarter note downbeats (1 2 3 4). For Anderson .Paak, try your best to see if you can figure out how the first part goes by ear and then we’ll work it out together next week!
Fantastic job today, it was awesome to see you make some progress with the hi-hat foot!
Preferred Books for Gordon’s Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
STICK CONTROL
George Lawrence Stone’s Stick Control is the bible of drumming. In 1993, Modern Drummer magazine named the book one of the top 25 books of all-time. In the words of the author, it is the ideal book for improving: control, speed, flexibility, touch, rhythm, lightness, delicacy, power, endurance, preciseness of execution and muscular coordination, with extra attention given to the development of the weak hand.
Reading, Rudiments, and Rock Drumming
This beginner book contains the basic 3 R’s of drumming-Reading, Rudiments, and Rock, in an easy to learn format.
Intermediate Snare Drum Studies
The Art of Bop Drumming
The definitive book on bop drumming—a style that is both the turning point and the cornerstone of contemporary music’s development. This comprehensive book and audio presentation covers time playing, comping, soloing, brushes, more jazz essentials, and charts in an entertaining mix of text, music, and pertinent quotes.
