We Are Thankful for Our Alumni: Darryl Jordan ’99
November 19, 2020
Darryl Jordan ’99
Gilman School
Choir Director and Voice Teacher, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
Director of Music Education & Adjunct Lecturer in Voice, Nyack College
“Gilman changed my life. B.E.S.T. celebrated me and would always go the extra mile to look out for me and support me.”
As a 1999 graduate of Gilman School, Darryl went on to New York University to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Music Education. He continued his education at Boston University where he earned his Masters in Music Education and a second Masters in Music and Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Most recently, Darryl has earned his Doctorate in Music Teacher Education from Teachers College of Columbia University. He is currently writing his dissertation on the Ethno-pedagogy of Black gospel singing and exploring how gospel singers develop with a focus on their upbringing over and against formal training. With only three colleges world-wide that offer gospel performance as a major, Darryl was at the forefront of developing the program at Nyack College where he is the Director of Music Education. In addition to his role at Nyack, Darryl is the Founder of FreeMind Music and a full-time Choir Director and Voice Teacher at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School while teaching his classes virtually.
B.E.S.T. played an integral role in Darryl’s life when he entered as a 9th grader at Gilman School. The relationships he built within the Gilman and B.E.S.T. community continued to open doors to new opportunities that supported Darryl’s educational and professional background. Darryl served as was a member of the B.E.S.T. Alumni Board, and as a student, was interviewed by the Center for the Social Organization of Schools of Johns Hopkins University), which led to a summer job with the program where he got first-hand experience learning how to do research.
Click this link to hear Darryl’s soulful cover of John Legend’s “So High”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elhwu18loXU&list=PL3F77550B37D0E321
