Gil Graham

Biography
Teacher

Performances - Jazz and Show Music

1970 - Present ~ Active member of the music scene in Boston, including club work, dance music, concerts, shows and recording. House drummer at two resorts in the Catskill Mountains, playing dance music and backing singers and comedians. Employed by three cruise ships: the Norway and the Starward for Norwegian Caribbean Line, and the Carnivale for Carnival Cruise Lines, backing such artists as Clark Terry, Zoot Sims and Wild Bill Davidson.
1994 ~ King Richard's Faire, Carver, MA. Peter Moore, Entertainment Director. Performance series accompanying The Commonwealth Brass.
Foxborough's Actor's Collaborative, Jacquelin Goudy, Music Director: City of Angels, Funny Girl, Bye Bye Birdie, Damn Yankees, Carousel, and How to Succeed in Business
Company Theater, Michael Joseph, Music Director: Oklahoma, It's a Wonderful Life.
Arlington Friends of Drama: City of Angels
Newton's Turtle Lane, Merrilee Maferra, Music Director: South Pacific.
Reading's Colonial Chorus, Matt Wulfe, Music Director: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Performances - Classical:

Snare drummer with Brockton Symphony. Timpanist with Melrose and Waltham symphonies. Miscellaneous percussion with Metropolitan Wind Symphony, Newton and Arlington Symphonies.

Performances - Jazz and Commercial Music:

Drummer and Business Manager for the New England Jazz Quartet. Duties included making initial contacts for concerts and club dates and promotion of the group via tapes, literature, photographs, and phone calls. Business manager and leader of the Gil Graham Jazz Quartet. PBS Channel 44 performance. Concerts include Firt Night Celebrations and Summerthing in Boston, the Berklee Performance Center, Harvard and MIT. Tapes aired on WGBH, WBUR and WERS radio. Leader of Gil Graham Enterprises, a group of versatile musicians specializing in playing dances, shows and commercial music. Endorser for Sabian Cymbals. Member of Sabian International Artists Program.

PUBLICATIONS

Beginning Drum Chart Reading. Gil Graham, publisher. 1983. Distributed by Jamie Aebersold (Indiana), Berklee Campus Shop (Boston) and Steve Weiss Music (Philadelphia). Reviewed in: Modern Drummer (June, 1986), Percussioner International (September, 1986).
"Rhythmic Displacement," Modern Drummer, August, 1985.
"Chart Reading: Part 1," Modern Drummer, November, 1985
"Chart Reading: Part 3," Modern Drummer, March, 1986
"Chart Reading: Part 4," Modern Drummer, June, 1986
"Setting Up Band Figures," Modern Drummer, December 1989
"Product Review: Sonor Soprano and Piccolo Snare Drums," Modern Drummer, December, 1990
"Product Review: Ludwig Piccolo Snare Drums," Modern Drummer, August, 1990

EDUCATION

Instruction in Harmony, Ear Training, and Jazz History at Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA, 1986 - 1992
Trained with Alan Dawson (internationally renowned jazz drummer), Fred Buda (percussionist with the Boston Ballet, Boston Pops, and Herb Pomeroy's Big Band), Sonny Igoe and Chuck Flores (both studio musicians and former Woody Herman drummers). Studies included chart reading, classical snare drum technique, polyrhythms, and Latin rhythms.
Majored in music at University of Missouri at Kansas City, MO, 1969 - 1970
Associate in Arts degree, major in music, Fort Scott Community Junior College, Fort Scott, KA, 1968 - 1969
Majored in music at Wichita State University, Wichita, KA, 1967 - 1968

Tags

Gil Graham Drums

Primary Instrument

Drums

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Teaching all ages/levels/styles.

Welcome to Gil Graham's DRUMMING PREPARATORY SCHOOL

For lessons call (781) 721 0490 or email Gil at [email protected]

LOCATION: 41 Foster Street, Arlington, MA 02476

Conveniently located at Arlington Center for the Arts, MA. Gil Graham's Preparatory School provides drum lessons for beginning, high school, and college-bound drumming students in Arlington, Cambridge, Lexington, Belmont, Medford, Somerville, Wincester, Woburn and other Boston Area communities in Greater Boston and Middlesex. . Whether you are preparing for the high school orchestra or jazz band or want to study drums and percussion in college, Gil encourages all his students to learn proper stick control regardless of their musical preference, whether it is rock, latin, funk or jazz. Learn More Than a Drum Beat, Learn Your Instrument, You Can Do It, It's Up To You!

Primary Instrument

Drums

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Teaching all ages/levels/styles.

Welcome to Gil Graham's DRUMMING PREPARATORY SCHOOL

For lessons call (781) 721 0490 or email Gil at [email protected]

LOCATION: 41 Foster Street, Arlington, MA 02476

Though Gil is always thrilled to give private drum lessons to anyone interested in the world of percussion, Gil Graham's Drumming Preparatory School (DPS) goes a step further. If you are aiming to major in music at college or are the parent of someone who does, Gil Graham's Drumming Preparatory School will offers a unique combination of private drum lessons and labs geared expressly towards college level performance skills on the drum set.

Drum lessons at Gil Graham's Drumming Preparatory School offer:

* A simple, enjoyable, systematic approach for all ages

* Hand development

* Stick control

* Independence

* Reading/Sight Reading

* A focus on the music you want to learn (eg. funk, jazz, latin, rock, etc.)

* And a drummer's most important function... TIME

Gil Graham has over 30 years of teaching experience. For 14 years he was on the faculty of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and also formery on the faculty of the New England Conservatory Extension. He has also written and published a highly praised book, titled Beginning Drum Chart Reading. More...

A few testimonials (More...):

"I was a little rough around the edges when I went in, and I feel more polished now and an overall better player" - Berklee Student

"Gil is the type of teacher who goes straight to the problem and doesn't waste the student's time" - Adult Professional

"Gil was the best introduction to professional drumming I could have wished for. He showed me how to take my drumming to a much higher level"- Berklee Student

"He saw the problem and gave me the tools to easily solve it." - Adult Beginner

TEACHING and PRIVATE INSTRUCTION CREDENTIALS

Teaching and Private Instruction * 1978 - 1992 ~ Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA private instruction, labs and two specialty courses: Advanced Chart Reading and Rhythm Section Workshops (concentrating on a drummer's function in small and large ensembles). Appeared on the Pearl Drum Corporation's approved teacher's list. Attended conventions, including 1990 Modern Drummer magazine's "Festival Weekend" and 1990 Percussive Arts Society Convention. Performed regularly with faculty ensembles, including: The Berklee Graduation Bass Ensemble (Greg Fritz, director); Chord Scale Madness (Jackson Schultz, director); The Time Jive (Greg Mooter, director); Sharon Brown Concert under the direction of Ken Greenhouse (Chairman, Voice Dept.) and featuring Rich Appleman (Chairman, Bass Dept.); Steve Carter Concert featuring Larry Baione (Chairman, Guitar Dept.); and The Willian Leavitt Octet.

* 1997 - Present ~ Newton Public Schools, Newton, MA

* 1996 - 2000 ~ Nobel-Greenough, Dedham, MA

* 1996 - 2000 ~ Dedham Country Day School, Dedham, MA

* 1994 - 2000 ~ New England Conservatory Extension, Boston, MA

* 1993 - 1998 ~ Natick Public Schools, Natick, MA

* 1972 - 1978 ~ Taught in private instrumental instruction program in Concord and Newton, Massachusetts school systems.

For free literature on learning the drums with Gil, contact Gil at (781) 721 0490 or by email at [email protected]

Gil Graham's Drumming Preparatory School is currently associated with the Arlington Center for the Arts, located at 41 Foster St., Arlington, MA

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