GABRIEL D.,
Gabriel is a guitarist, composer, arranger, songwriter and educator living in New York City. Gabriel grew up in eastern Kentucky as a part of the rich Appalachian old time music tradition playing for festivals, dances and venues across the state of KY. He developed an interest in jazz and the music of artists such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk when he moved to North Carolina as a teenager, and went on to study at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to receive his B.A. in jazz guitar performance.
While living in North Carolina, Gabriel performed across the south east in many musical settings, as a jazz guitarist, rock guitarist, folk artist, pit-orchestra member and composer of his own original music for venues, festivals, private events, musicals and everything in between. It was during this time that he developed a passion for teaching, fostering a large studio consisting of students of all ages. Gabriel moved to NYC in the summer of 2023 to continue his career in music and discover new opportunities.
Teaching Philosophy:
Just like everyone’s journey through life, every student’s journey with music is going to be different. We all come from unique backgrounds and cultures and have developed our own taste in music and art. I love to help my students better understand the music that they love, introduce them to new music and concepts that will nurture their appreciation, and guide them on their journey. I believe it’s important to allow my students to be creative and see for themselves why music can be beautiful, fulfilling and fun. I just have to point them in that direction.
I see music as a language. It can be understood through reading, writing and most importantly, listening. My lessons are geared towards: developing our ears so we can better understand the music we hear, establishing strong technique so we can play with less effort, learning the basics of music theory so we know how music is put together, and learning how to read and write standard music notation. My students focus on these concepts, in the context of the music they are interested in so they can learn how to freely express themselves through music in a way that is rewarding for them personally.