Damien Gibson

I have more than 20 years teaching experience on three different instruments,  namely the clarinet, piano and violin.On my main instrument , clarinet, I taught at JJ Pearce High school, Richardson, Texas 2015 until 2019, shortly before the pandemic in 2020. Concomitantly, I taught at North Jr. High in Richardson Texas from 2015 until 2019. On clarinet, I won several concerto competitions and talent shows at the University of North Texas. I have performed in several Dallas Fort Worth Texas shows and performed with the Allen Philharmonic as Principal clarinet and clarinet soloist.  On violin I have taught students in the  Dallas Fort Worth  area and prepared them for region auditions and solo competitions.  There is nothing I enjoy more at the moment than teaching!

I am very patient and laid back as a teacher. At the same time , I am especially focused on small details in performance repertoire or etudes that may need review. Teaching theory is a true source of pleasure for me, because I see first hand how incorporating theory can enhance and deepen a student's musical journey. I also find that having vocal experience helps to get phrasing across,  as well as realizing overall musicianship. Not only do I play to model phrasing , etc each lessson, I also sing each phrase, etc. to be learned. To me, constant immersion in the musical language is super effective.  I have a recent idea about teaching only through sound communication , no words at all . I would like to see if this idea results in a better overall lesson.