Gabe Romero
Gabe Romero is a senior music education major at Temple University. Born and raised on Long Island, music has been his #1 passion since taking up the piano and the cello as a child. He decided to make that passion his career after his positive musical experiences in high school, which included performing as a soloist with his school orchestra at Carnegie Hall and participating in multiple choirs, jazz bands and church music groups. While studying at Temple, he has gotten many opportunities to hone his teaching skills, serving as an intern with Philadelphia String Project and Philly POPS, as well as teaching cello privately and working as a 1:1 aide for students with special needs during the summers.
Gabe is excited to be working with Fflat Books this semester via Music Service Learning, an internship allowing college students to explore music education experiences beyond their coursework and help schools and organizations in need. In particular, Gabe has used the internship as an opportunity to explore the incorporation of popular music and student-centered creativity into all levels of music education. During his time with MSL, he has helped design integrated-arts curricula for Columbia Public Schools and a virtual songwriting/production unit for Interboro High School’s choirs. In addition to his blogs, he is also helping to create educational supplements to the fantastic Switched on Pop podcast!
When not working, you might find Gabe hiking his favorite park trails, searching for more vinyls to add to his collection, or cooking anything involving pasta!
eBooks by Gabe Romero
Posts by Gabe Romero
Navigating High-Profile Calls, Collaborations, and Imposter Moments as a Music Entrepreneur in the Recognition Era
by José Valentino Ruiz, Ph.D. The phone rings differently when the work finally starts working. It is not louder. It is not more urgent. But something about knowing who is on the other end — a major label [...]
Composing the Plate: Translating Culinary Technique into Musical Structure
by José Valentino Ruiz, Ph.D. There is a moment in every great dining experience when something shifts — subtly, almost imperceptibly. The dish arrives, the aroma rises, the first bite lands, and suddenly the experience becomes [...]
Stop Guessing What to Practice: An Intentional Approach to Woodwind Methods
Have you had a class full of overwhelmed woodwind methods students—or are you one of those overwhelmed students who are facing inefficient or unclear practice expectations outside of class? Or are you a music educator who [...]
Genre Fluency, Production Literacy, and Sector Adaptability: A Case Study in Multi-Sector Musician Formation
By Lauren L. Roberts & José Valentino Ruiz, Ph.D. Abstract This dual-voice case study examines the professional formation of a multi-idiomatic violinist within the framework of contemporary creative enterprise leadership. Through first-person artistic reflection and mentor [...]
Algorithms as Gatekeepers: Platform Governance and the Reconfiguration of Power in the Music Industry
by McKinley Taylor, University of Florida & José Valentino Ruiz, Ph.D., University of Florida Abstract The digital transformation of the music industry is frequently framed as a democratization of production and distribution. While barriers to entry [...]
Reimagining Jazz Education: Experiential Learning for Entrepreneurial Formation in the Global Jazz Ecosystem
by Pete Madsen, D.M.A. & José Valentino Ruiz, Ph.D. Abstract Jazz education has always lived in tension between structure and freedom. On one hand, the field is built on improvisation, dialogue, and cultural exchange. On the [...]