About Gary
I received a Bachelors degree at Ball State Universityā¦ in Percussion. My instructor, Erwin Mueller, taught me so much about how to practice, how to study a piece of music, and the discipline needed to be a professional musician. I also had a minor in Classical piano, and played piano in the Ball State Jazz band, gigging around the area in various bands. Post college I dropped my percussion work to devote myself to piano playing.
Lots of good and bad gigs followed while I taught middle school band and general music in those early years. Then more good and bad gigs followed as I worked a day job at an insurance company, typing policies first on a typewriter and then the first personal computers that the company used.
After that, I played good and bad gigs while co-owning a small, not-so-profitable recording studio. After a few years trying to make the studio part work I sold my interest and devoted my efforts to performing and recording.
I returned to teaching in 2000 at Butler University, DePauw University and Indiana-Purdue University. By 2004 I limited myself to Butler University as an adjunct professor of Applied Jazz Piano. Additionally I lead jazz combos, the jazz band a couple years, and a couple years teaching jazz theory and jazz history.
In 2004 I began work on a Masters degree in Composition, studying with Dr. Michael Schelle at Butler. He was a great teacher for me, constantly challenging my bad habits and introducing me to concepts and techniques I would not have learned otherwise.
Finally, I retired from teaching in May of 2019, to give myself time to practice, perform and compose. Itās been a great career so far, and I look forward to many more wonderful musical experiences in the years ahead.