On this episode, Shanta speaks with Adrian Gordon, an internationally performed
composer and seasoned music educator. After 17 years of teaching music in the classroom in
South Florida and going through four music director job transitions
in two different schools, as wellas general music, choir, and two
string orchestra positions, Adrian realized there was a gap in his
music education training. Even though his undergraduate and
graduate programs were musically and pedagogically extensive, he
never felt as though they touched on those hard-to-navigate areas of
transitioning between jobs.

Adrian currently serves as the director of orchestras at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC. He believes in the power of music education in a child’s life and understands the necessity
of having passionate, confident, and supported music teachers at the helm,
promoting great musical experiences for students.

In addition to teaching, Adrian is the founder of Leap Year Music Publishing,
which publishes string music for elementary, middle, and high school
ensembles. His compositions appear on the Florida, Texas, Maryland, and
Georgia Orchestra Association Music Performance Assessment Lists. His
compositions are distributed through J.W. Pepper and have been performed
throughout the world. He takes pride in creating music that is fun and
pedagogically sound at all levels.
Adrian received his BA in music from the University of Miami and his master’s
degree in music education at Florida International University. Born and raised
in Miami, FL, he currently resides in Charlotte with his wife, Kelly, and their
two sons.

Learn more at www.adriangordonmusic.com.
Website: adriangordonmusic.com
Instagram: @apgordonmusic
Youtube: Adrian Gordon

His book: Note to Self: A Music Director’s Guide for Transitioning to
a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program