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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November 17th Assignments
Lucas
How many minutes to practice: 15-30
What to practice: This week Lucas I want you to focus on working through the rest of Seven Nation Army with the music. UPDATED TRANSCRIPTION of Seven Nation Army and a link to the song.
How to practice effectively HERE IS A VIDEO OF ME PLAYING THE PART. Good work sticking through the technical difficulties today Lucas! What I want you to try this week is to print out the new transcription and pick a different color for the verses, the pre-choruses, and the choruses. Then go through the music and circle each section in that color and how many times you repeat it. Then on a seperate sheet, make a list of the name of each section and how many times you repeat it in the color you’ve chosen for each section. This list will be your form chart which helps you learn the layout of the song so you can play it better. Just give it a shot this week and if you’re having trouble we can work on it together some next week!
Have a great weekend, good work!
Jonah
How many minutes to practice: 30
What to practice: This week Jonah I want you to keep working on the Peters IV accent exercise.
How to practice effectively: Good work on this this week Jonah. I can tell that you get it just keep practicing! Go through it slowly with counting and you’ll get there! Also heres the link to the song your mom said she liked if you want to drum along to it!
Keep pushing on the accent sheet, you’re doing really well with it!
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. Keep an eye here on the assignment page for the transcription, I’ll be posting in a couple days.
How to practice effectively: Really good work with accent-tap and Dark Red! Listen to the song this week and try to work out the beats as best as you can and we’ll dig into it more next week.
Awesome job with Dark Red this week, keep it fresh so you can play it with your sister whenever!
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.
