Classical percussionist with 12+ years of experience and training in Miami, Florida.

I can strongly and unequivocally recommend Greg as an electronic music production and composition teacher! We asked Greg to teach our 11 year old son the basics of using a DAW, composition, and production over a two-week school break during Covid lockdown, when camps and other activities weren't available.

Greg prepared a meticulous, carefully organized, and extremely well-thought out course for our son. Each lesson had a clear plan, he had just the right level of homework to help our son progress quickly, and he was extremely focused on ensuring that our son understood the concepts and was able to grow in sophistication lesson to lesson.

During these two weeks, Greg took our son through the entire composition and production workflow, resulting in a fully completed song that I (as an admitted highly biased parent) love to listen to. I hadn't dreamed that he would progress so quickly, or become so proficient, in such a short time. If your children (or you!) are interested in this area, I can attest to Greg's terrific teaching and patience.

Greg is a very gifted, careful teacher who takes his craft seriously. You'll enjoy learning from him!

I've known Greg since he began producing music, and I've yet to meet someone with as much passion, drive, and intuition. Beyond his raw skills in the domain, though, he's an excellent teacher, providing complete and detailed answers to any questions you might ask. His compassion and "no such thing as a stupid question" attitude towards teaching make it easy to recommend him - If you've ever wanted to start producing your own music but have no clue where to begin, definitely give him a try!

This letter is respectfully offered in support of Gregory Phifer. Greg was accepted into the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s prestigious and highly selective Percussion Scholarship Program as a fourth grader and is currently in 12th grade. As a member of the program, Greg has a weekly private percussion lesson with us at Orchestra Hall, and on many occasions spends long weekend hours rehearsing with select members of the ensemble. He has performed with the ensemble on many occasions at Symphony Center, and was selected to perform with the group on the Armour Stage and at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Convention.

As a member of the PSG, Greg has often been asked to teach our younger students in a formal private lesson setting. Additionally, on his own initiative, he helps out and proactively takes care of questions and setup issues in our ensemble rehearsals. He is not only excellent and effective in helping his younger colleagues with their assignments, he is also kind and patient.

In his nine years as a member of the Percussion Scholarship Group, Greg has developed a great deal of poise, confidence and excellent skills in the areas of percussion technique and musicality. He is consistently respectful, easygoing, and very well liked. He has a positive attitude and an extremely supportive family.

Greg was the 2016 winner of the Chicago Symphony Orchestras Young Artists Competition. In February of 2017, he performed the Koppel Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra with the Chicago Symphony on the Armour stage of Symphony Center.
He attended the Interlochen Arts Camp in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and performed in all of the major ensembles there, including the World Youth Symphony. In 2017, The PSG performed a composition of Greg’s, “Time Passes,” that also featured him as a soloist.

We hope you will consider Greg’s musical talent and dedication to our group when his application is considered, and that he receives a favorable decision. We truly enjoy having him, and he has our most sincere recommendation. Greg is a wonderful person.

Respectfully,

Patricia Dash Douglas Waddell

Percussionist Percussionist
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Lyric Opera of Chicago