Teaching Philosophy: "I love teaching because in itself, it is an excellent opportunity to learn.
I believe that learning music is a great outlet for self-expression. As a performer and educator in many genres - including classical, afro-cuban, jazz, brazilian, contemporary, pop, and rock - my end goal for my students is ultimately for them to become their own teachers, to have a fun experience, and to always be themselves.
With so many contributions about how to approach an instrument and musical ideas available, it is easy to forget or not consider what works best for us and/or our bodies. While it is necessary to mirror good practices and favorable habits from our mentors, I believe there is a path for every single one of us and a unique inner musical voice to evolve, and that often requires a personalized set of tools that may vary from person to person. With this in mind, I help my students improve their musical voice and discover their path. This allows them to experience joy, minimize self-doubt, and reach the most important thing - musical freedom. I help students attain this by refining their technique, offering pedagogical information that will help them overcome many musical challenges and facilitating answers to most of the common questions that percussionists at any level may have. I also enjoy exploring improvisation with my students as a way to teach them that some of the most magical musical experiences can happen when we remove ourselves from expectations and allow ourselves to feel and collaborate with others."
Biography: Gerson De La Rosa is a Puerto Rican percussionist and educator based in Boston and New York City. He holds a B.M. in Orchestral Percussion Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he studied under the tutelage of Nancy Zeltsman, Samuel Solomon, Doug Perkins, and Boston Symphony Orchestra percussionist Kyle Brightwell. As a developing percussionist in Puerto Rico, Gerson started his percussion studies with Jose Alicea Espada at “Musica 100 x 35” (El Sistema PR) and performed regularly with the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra and Puerto Rico Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, he had his solo debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, performing Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto No. 1. During that time he also attended The Caribbean Arts Conservatory (CAC) and Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where he studied and explored Classical, Latin, Popular, Jazz, and Middle Eastern musical genres. As a teacher, he began mentoring private students in 2017. Gerson was invited to be a guest artist for the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival (UCMF) in 2020 and has participated in tours throughout the US and South America. As an advocate for new music, Gerson has collaborated with living composers such as Avik Chari, Young-Jun Leon, and Carl Schimmel to premier their works. He is also the newest member of NYC-based collective ÆON Ensemble, which specializes in contemporary music and synesthetic collaborations.
Gerson has been teaching since 2017 and has been with Note-Worthy Experiences since July 2022.
I believe that learning music is a great outlet for self-expression. As a performer and educator in many genres - including classical, afro-cuban, jazz, brazilian, contemporary, pop, and rock - my end goal for my students is ultimately for them to become their own teachers, to have a fun experience, and to always be themselves.
With so many contributions about how to approach an instrument and musical ideas available, it is easy to forget or not consider what works best for us and/or our bodies. While it is necessary to mirror good practices and favorable habits from our mentors, I believe there is a path for every single one of us and a unique inner musical voice to evolve, and that often requires a personalized set of tools that may vary from person to person. With this in mind, I help my students improve their musical voice and discover their path. This allows them to experience joy, minimize self-doubt, and reach the most important thing - musical freedom. I help students attain this by refining their technique, offering pedagogical information that will help them overcome many musical challenges and facilitating answers to most of the common questions that percussionists at any level may have. I also enjoy exploring improvisation with my students as a way to teach them that some of the most magical musical experiences can happen when we remove ourselves from expectations and allow ourselves to feel and collaborate with others."
Biography: Gerson De La Rosa is a Puerto Rican percussionist and educator based in Boston and New York City. He holds a B.M. in Orchestral Percussion Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he studied under the tutelage of Nancy Zeltsman, Samuel Solomon, Doug Perkins, and Boston Symphony Orchestra percussionist Kyle Brightwell. As a developing percussionist in Puerto Rico, Gerson started his percussion studies with Jose Alicea Espada at “Musica 100 x 35” (El Sistema PR) and performed regularly with the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra and Puerto Rico Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, he had his solo debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, performing Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto No. 1. During that time he also attended The Caribbean Arts Conservatory (CAC) and Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where he studied and explored Classical, Latin, Popular, Jazz, and Middle Eastern musical genres. As a teacher, he began mentoring private students in 2017. Gerson was invited to be a guest artist for the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival (UCMF) in 2020 and has participated in tours throughout the US and South America. As an advocate for new music, Gerson has collaborated with living composers such as Avik Chari, Young-Jun Leon, and Carl Schimmel to premier their works. He is also the newest member of NYC-based collective ÆON Ensemble, which specializes in contemporary music and synesthetic collaborations.
Gerson has been teaching since 2017 and has been with Note-Worthy Experiences since July 2022.
