Robert Gaige Cummings
Robert Gaige Cummings (who typically just goes by "Gaige") is a graduate of the North St. Francois County R-1 school district from the class of 2016, and a veteran of their music progress of nearly six years. He is currently pursuing a degree in secondary education, with hopes to expand his education further into other music-related aspects in the future. Having been a choral singer and having played guitar, bass guitar, and tuba for over a decade, he has experience performing in several rock and country garage bands, as well as with the North County, JeffCo, and MAC jazz ensembles, and with the North County marching band, jazz choirs, and concert choirs.
Though Gaige took a break from performance after high school, he has recently begun performing again as part of the Mineral Area Fine Arts Academy's Jazz Ensemble as the bassist, and is always eager to be able to be around music whether that be by performing, teaching, or learning himself. He is a self-described "perpetual student," and as such tends to try to find a learning opportunity in successes and failures alike, allowing him to consistently grow and adapt as a musician.
With MAFAA, Gaige seeks to serve as a bespoke bass guitar instructor, serving the need that local school bands have each year when they need bassists for their middle and high school jazz ensembles. This being said, he also offers his talents as a bassist and a teacher to anyone, regardless of age and student status.
Overall, Gaige is seeking to help address a need that any band instructor or garage band organizer alike can relate to: there needs to be more bassists.