ALL ABOUT JESSE GERBASI

Jesse Gerbasi is a public school instrumental music teacher, teaching K - 8th grade in Newark Public Schools. He went to William Paterson for his bachelors degree in music education with a focus in concert percussion. His teachers include Vince Inciong,  Payton MacDonald, Peter Jarvis, John Ferrari, and Gary Van Dyke. He also studied jazz with Kevin Norton.

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Jesse currently plays with the New Jersey Percussion ensemble and various ensembles throughout NJ both as a soloist and an ensemble member, such as; The Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey, The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band, The Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Eastern Opera Company.

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In 2018 he performed with the NJPE (New Jersey Percussion Ensemble) at PASIC with Glen Velez at one of the headlining showcases. 

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More recently, in 2019 he performed with Charu Suri and Friends at Carnegie Hall in a Jazz concert series. The music was based on traditional Indian Ragas mixed with Western Jazz.

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Jesse is also a freelance drummer that currently plays with more than 4 different bands, ranging from heavy rock music to R&B/Jazz.

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When Jesse is not performing, he is teaching in Newark Public Schools, or teaching privately. Jesse has helped many students prepare for college auditions. Additionally, he has many years experience teaching percussion to high-school marching band students.

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Recently, Jesse has been awarded the VH1 Save the Music Grant for over $50,000 dollars in instruments for his school, Louise A. Spencer. 

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When Jesse is not working on music, he is probably cooking, or spending time with Jenny, Aurora, and Sox.

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