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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February 2nd Assignments
Lucas
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: This week Lucas I want you to work on playing Another One Bites the Dust with the music.
How to practice effectively: What I would do this week Lucas is focus on building up the beat every time you practice instead of just trying to do it all at once. First start with the hi-hat, then add the bass drum. No matter what try to keep the hi-hat going constantly. Then when you’re ready, add the snare drum. If its too hard at first or you start to get off, just take it out and go back to just the hi-hat and bass drum. I promise practicing it this way will be way less frustrating in the long run. Once you feel confident with the beat, try doing it a little bit faster and play along with the song! You can also slow down the song in youtube so that you can practice along to it at any speed.
Great work getting the beat at the end of class today!
Jonah
How many minutes to practice: 30
What to practice: This week Jonah I want you to work on the end of the reading and the beats Lesson 12, as well as the first verse and chorus for the TRANSCRIPTION of Ride by Twenty-One Pilots.
How to practice effectively: Good work with the reading in the first part of Lesson 12, I think you’re starting to get the hang of dotted notes. For the last part with the 16th notes and the ties, just make sure to count carefully and it should be fine. For Ride, practice the beat by itself first and then do it with the song a little bit. If its too fast, slow down the music in youtube and practice along at a slower speed. Once you feel good with the beat, try working out the couple tricky fills that are at the ends of the phrases, we’ll try to hit those some more next week.
Really great work today getting back on track and having a productive lesson!
Samson
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: Next week Samson I want to hear you play from the beginning to the second chorus in Todd Rundgren’s It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference. Here is the UPDATED TRANSCRIPTION.
How to practice effectively: Good work with this Samson, just keep shooting for CONSISTENCY. That is key, even if you have to play the whole thing slow, you have to know how it feels to play the whole thing at a consistent tempo. One way to even it out and get things up to tempo faster is by finding the spots where you slow down, and then work on them until you can play them faster, then you can try the whole thing at a faster tempo.
You’ve got this Samson, keep going!
Preferred Books for Gordon’s Students
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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.
