Gary David Hoffman
I am a professor in music performance at Nord University campus Nesna, Faculty of Teacher Education and Arts and Culture. I am also a performing musician on trumpet, piano, guitar and vocals. In addition, I am a sound engineer/producer and composer/arranger.
My education consists of a Bachelor's degree in music (jazz) and a Master's degree in music (jazz and music technology) from Loyola University, New Orleans.
Position:
Safety representative for FLU, campus Nesna 2016-
Acting board member, Northern Norwegian Jazz Forum 2020-2022
Board member, Northern Norwegian Jazz Forum 2022-
Union representative, MFO (Creo) 2008-2016
Union representative, Forskerforbundet 2005-2007
Musician:
I have been a performing musician since 1980. I have worked as musical director for big bands and musical theater productions at Norwegian Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruise Lines. I was the musical director for the program "Ditka Live" at WWL TV (New Orleans).
I have composed for among others. WGNO TV (New Orleans), Rikskonsertene, Petter Dass Dagene, Hemnes Jazz and Blues Festival and my own digital solo project, Gaz and the Supermurgatroids.
As a jazz trumpeter, I have played with among others, Ed Thigpen, Ernie Watts, Eddie Daniels, Bill Watrous, Tim Hagans, Jon Cowherd, Tomasz Stanko, Harry Connick, Jr., Bill Summers, Tony Dagradi, Steve Masakowski, Gavin Ahearn, Briana Cowlishaw, Bjørn Alterhaug, Nils Landgren, Dag Arnesen , Karin Krog, Frode Berg, Eric Smith, Petter Wettre, Frank Brodahl, Anders Eriksen, Helge Sunde, Torbjørn Sunde, Kåre Kolve, Ola Kvernberg, Hallgeir Pedersen, Trond Sverre Hansen, Sverre Joner, Sabastien Dubé, Olga Konkova, Ivar Antonsen, Frode Fjellheim, Hildegunn Øiseth, Guttorm Guttormsen, poet Edvard Hoem, Kjell Joar Pettersen Øverleir, Sigrid Brennhaug, Lars Erik Drevvatne, Arvid Martinsen, Marit Sandvik, Ernst Wiggo Sandbakk, Finn Sletten and Andreas Kolstad (Nordland Theatre).
As a trumpet player in various pop genres, I have played with among others, Ray Charles, The Temptations, The O´Jays, Julio Iglesias, The Fifth Dimension, Billy Ocean, The Shirelles, Little Anthony, The Letterman, Tiny Barge and the Big Chill, The Platters, Freedom Bremner, John Lee Hooker, Jr ., Jan Eggum, Ida Maria Sivertsen, Hanne Boel, Nik Kershaw, Torill Sivertsen, Heine Totland, Elg, Reidar Larsen, Notodden Blues Band, Sofian, Jonny Sjo, Kim Ofstad and Rebekka Bakken.
Areas of teaching include composition/arranging, counterpoint, ear training, improvisation, ensemble, conducting, music history (classical, jazz, rock and pop), music technology and studio work, songwriting, music business, music didactics, trumpet (main instrument), piano (secondary instrument) and guitar (secondary instrument). I have also taught Kindergarten teacher training with a focus on Orff methodology.
In 2011 I developed a 30 ECTS full-time study, "Caribbean Music and Culture", which took place in Havana, Cuba in autumn 2011 and spring 2012. In Cuba, I taught together with local teachers from the Universidad de las Artes (ISA), Cuba's famous music conservatory who taught dance, percussion and Spanish. The course took place at El Centro de Estudios Martianos (CEM) in Havana and was a full-time, practical/theoretical study with immersion in the history of the Caribbean islands, with an emphasis on Hispaniola and Jamaica.
In 2013, I developed the course "Band", which was run in the academic year 2014 and 2015 in Nesna. The study was a full-time study based on four modules: ensemble, music technology and studio work, music industry and songwriting. The aim was to give the students knowledge in how to start and develop a band using structured methods and to give knowledge of modern marketing techniques that exist today via social media. The students participated as volunteers both at the Melting Pot Music Festival where they also performed and at the Træna festival where they worked closely with the festival manager. As part of the exam, the students composed their own songs and performed them at a concert that they themselves promoted locally.
I have also worked on internationalization and the development of international relations with institutions such as the University of Alba Iulia, Romania and the University of Szczecin, Poland (2015-2017).
I also work with translations from Norwegian to English and have contributed to a number of international conference participations and publications.
I am a member of the research group, " Stedsbasert læring og utdanning for bærekraftig utvikling"
As Gary Hoffman
As Gaz and the Supermurgitroids: