ISB 2025 Convention Presenter — Gaelen McCormick

Gaelen McCormick’s career started on stage with
the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. After 23 years, she "retired"
due to deafness and now is making a new path in the arts in healthcare field,
leading the Eastman
Performing Arts Medicine program at the University of
Rochester. Her twin passions for music and healthcare are mirrored in her
nonprofit board service: she is the president of the International Society of Bassists and Vice-President of the National
Organization for Arts in Health.

Pedagogy is an integral part of her career,
whether helping new bass players to find their voice and learn to play without
injury, or helping teachers create bass studios and school programs that are
sustainable. Gaelen recently celebrated 20 years on the faculty of the Eastman
Community Music School. She is the author of three
pedagogy books for developing bow technique, Mastering the Bow vol 1-3,
and a book of duets for developing bassists, Double Trouble, all
published by Carl Fischer. She recently completed a three-year-long project to
review and compile the history of pedagogy for the instrument which was
published in late 2023 by Routledge, Teaching Violin, Viola, Cello, and
Double Bass: Historical and Modern Pedagogical Practices.