Alex Gauvin (Guitar & Drum Teacher)

Alex Gauvin is a teacher through and through. Little did he know as a young child sitting in on his grandma’s piano lessons that he would grow up to follow in her footsteps. He would eventually dive headfirst into musicianship in high school where one of his formative musical experiences as the peer tutor for his guitar class cemented his passion for teaching. It should then come as no surprise that he pursued his BA in music at Laurentian University where he majored in jazz guitar and began teaching privately even before graduating. After many years of teaching he is continuing his mission as an educator by enrolling in OISE’s Master of Education program which he will complete in 2023 and has already enlighten his approach to pedagogy.

Alex’s own musical interests lie mainly in improvisation, composition and approaching music as a language. Even when playing covers or the work of others, the aim is to express one’s self, and this is the type of musical understanding he aims for. Rooted in the fundamentals of music and musicianship, Alex can make even the more mundane aspects of learning music like theory and repetitive practice fun. Through studying education he knows that the student has to be put at the centre, understanding their goals, their background and what is meaningful to them is the key for rewarding music lessons. He knows no two students are the same and is able to adapt to different learning styles, create individual learning plans, assessment strategies and customizing learning materials.

His pedagogical knowledge is surpassed only by his musical knowledge of course. As a multi-instrumentalist who is proficient on guitar, bass and drums with intermediate knowledge of piano, ukulele and mandolin and even some experience with woodwinds and brass, he brings all of this experience to every lesson. Whether it’s learning a cover or writing one’s own songs he knows how all the pieces go together allowing him to empower his students to understand and interpret music themselves as well preparing them to create music cooperatively with others. Finally, Alex also has extensive knowledge of recording and production, because once you have mastered your favourite song you want to share it with the world!