Derek Ganong

Trumpet Instructor

Derek Ganong is a member of the CAP brass faculty, teaching trumpet. Originally from Lake Tahoe, California, Dr. Ganong is a founding member of the Vice City Brass. Derek enjoys an active freelance career in South Florida, including performances with Arturo Sandoval, Barry Manilow, Kevin Spacey, Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Danilo Pérez, the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic, the Miami Symphony, and the Orchid City Brass.

In addition to performing, Derek also teaches trumpet for the Miami Music Project, an El Sistema-style program in South Miami. He also is a trumpet faculty member of the FredBrass Institute.

Derek earned his Bachelor’s in Ethnomusicology and Cognitive Science from UCLA, his Master’s in Jazz trumpet from NYU, and his Doctorate in Jazz/Studio and Classical Trumpet from the University of Miami. Derek’s past teachers include Mark Lord, Laurie Frink, Ralph Alessi, Brian Lynch, and Craig Morris. Derek’s doctoral dissertation, Laurie Frink’s Method of Trumpet Instruction, has become one of the most retrieved scholarly papers in the history of the University of Miami.