Gary Joynes
About
Gary Joynes is a songwriter, composer, producer, keyboardist, saxophonist and educator based in New York. Gary earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees from New England Conservatory, both with distinction. While a student, Gary was featured in George Russell's "The African Game," which received two Grammy nominations, and he was a featured soloist with the Gil Evans Monday Night Orchestra, which featured jazz luminaries such as Jaco Pastorious and David Sanborn, among others. Upon graduation, he served as a professor at New England Conservatory, the New England Conservatory Extension Division, Boston College, and later, the California Institute of the Arts. In addition, Gary has taught at many music preparatory schools in Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. In recent years, Gary has returned to his first instrument, piano/keyboards, and he has focused on songwriting and production. His awards and accolades include a Gold Award and Double Finalist awards in the 25th Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (2009) in the R&B category, and several Billboard Song Contest Awards, in the R&B and Inspirational categories.
My lessons are tailored to the appropriate goals, interests, and level of the student. If you are a complete beginner, or are resuming lessons after a long hiatus, I strive to make the lesson fun and stress-free, while providing you the fundamentals that allow you to quickly play the music you are passionate about. If you are seeking to develop your improvising or songwriting skills, I help you study artists and influences you feel a kinship with, and work to integrate the qualities that draw you to these artists into your own unique musical personality. This is the process of finding a "voice" as an improviser or songwriter, and one of my favorite approaches to teaching.