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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December 15th Assignment
Lucas
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: Over break I want you to write in all of the counts for the rest of the Lesson 6 reading and also work on the beats. If you feel like going on try Lesson 7!
How to practice effectively: Good work with the 16th notes in Lesson 6 so far, just keep going with writing in the counts for the rest of the Reading and then try playing and counting. For the beats playing slowly and counting is still the way to go.
Great work this fall Lucas, have a great holiday season and a Merry Christmas!!
Jonah
How many minutes to practice: 30
What to practice: This week Jonah I want you to finish writing in all of the counts for the accents on the Peters IV accent exercise and work on High Hopes by Panic! at The Disco. Here is a link to the song.
How to practice effectively: I would like you to finish writing in the counts for the Peters IV accent exercise, so just continue to go through the page and write in all of the counts above the accents. Then next week we’ll run through the whole thing. In addition we’ll keep working on High Hopes.
I’ll be posting the transcription for High Hopes at some point so keep an eye out. Other than that have a Merry Christmas Jonah! Thanks for such a great fall!
Samson
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: This week Samson I want you to work on Todd Rundgren’s It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference. Here is the UPDATED TRANSCRIPTION.
How to practice effectively: Good job with the song! Just make your practice consistent and remember to go slowly and count things out as much as you can to get it accurate at a slow tempo!
Great job man, and if I don’t see you before the break, have a very Merry Christmas! Thanks for such a great fall semester!!
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.
