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
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March 9th Assignments
Sebastian
What to practice: This week Sebastian I want you to work on the Lesson 3 beats and reading as well as Another One Bites the Dust
How to practice effectively: Good work today Sebastian! For Another One Bites the Dust, spend a couple minutes working on the beat by itself, then try putting on the music at a slow speed and try playing along. Remember when you’re playing with music you have to be actively listening to stay in time. Try to work in the fills if you can! In addition, work on Lesson 3 and write in the counts (1+2+3+4+) for the reading above the notes, then try counting it out loud while clicking your sticks, then try playing it on the drum. For the beats, just go slowly and if its helpful try writing the counts for the bass drum underneath the notes as well.
See you in a couple weeks!
Lucas
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: For the next couple weeks Lucas I want you to practice Another One Bites the Dust as well as Lesson 7
How to practice effectively: Keep up the good work Lucas! For Another One Bites the Dust, try playing along with it once everyday just to keep working on staying in time with the song. If you want to see my breakdown for the bridge again here it is:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eZzq1bNlxJITT5rXPj0D439i9YjVamq-/view?usp=sharing
For Lesson 7, lets do the usual routine of writing the counts in above the notes for the reading and going nice and slow with the beats. You know I’m going to ask you to count everything out loud so you may as well practice that too!
Great job today, see you in a couple weeks!
Jonah
How many minutes to practice: 30
What to practice: This week Jonah I want you to work on Lesson 13 Reading and Beats, here is the video I made to help: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z8sbQp1mhvKWPvneeFPFwrqAtkikqS7V/view?usp=sharing
Also, here is an article to help explain how different notes are related to each other, it should help with this lesson: https://www.schoolofcomposition.com/music-notation/
How to practice effectively: For the next couple weeks Jonah work on trying to get down Lesson 13. I know some things were confusing but in the video I posted above I go play through all of it so try and see if you can make the connection between what I’m playing and whats on the page. Also in future lessons, please try to respond to me when I’m talking to you, that way I can know how to best deliver the lesson. I know it can feel like a lot of questions sometimes but I’m only trying to understand where you’re at so that we can have the most fun and learn the most music.
Thanks for all your hard work today!d
Samson
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: Your assignment this week Samson is to finish playing through Todd Rundgren’s It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference. Here is the UPDATED TRANSCRIPTION.
How to practice effectively: For the next couple weeks spend most of your time working on the tricky new sections like the end of the bridge and the end of the song. Then go back and go over all the other fills and then try running the song down after that. Im expecting you to play all of it for me when we get back in two weeks so be sure to get good practice staying in time and being able to get back on whenever you get off. Here is a video of me explaining how to do the fill at the end of the bridge into the last chorus: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dpRnvgQnxVGb170Cutx89abLskSNlVOc/view?usp=sharing
Be sure to have your mom send your vaccine info to ABC if you want to start meeting in person, that would be awesome, have a happy March Break!
Samuel
How many minutes to practice: 3omins
What to practice: This week Sam I want you to practice the Stick Control exercise with the feet and the first part of Come Home by Anderson .Paak which I breakdown in this video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/128x12biveBwmXr3JQ2LhLs70vyW485Rv/view?usp=sharing
How to practice effectively: For the Stick Control exercise, do each cell slowly with the hands before adding the feet. Only move on to the next sticking pattern when you feel ready. For Come Home, I break down how the drums go in the verse and the chorus sections in the first half of the song. Try following along and playing with the song if you can. If you’re feeling brave, try to see if you can figure out what changes in the second half of the song and how that part goes.
Super exciting to be working with you, hope you have a good March Break!
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.
