about natalie gilbert
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Natalie
Gilbert has been living in Durham, North Carolina since 2005, although
she has been in the area since 1981 as Music Director of
the
renowned American
Dance Festival held at Duke University.
A decision to leave her job as music coordinator in the Department of Dance at the Ohio State University gave her the opportunity to explore a whole new life which included teaching middle school music at Carolina Friends School. She has been teaching piano to all ages of students for over 20 years.
Natalie always thrived on change: she was born in Ohio, grew up in Appalachia in Cumberland, Maryland and then went to college at Oberlin and to grad school at Ohio State. She has lived and worked as a freelance musician with her focus being on improvisation and work with dancers in New York City (various studios and NYU Tisch School of the Arts: 16 years), Delray Beach, Florida (New World School of the Arts: 7 years) and Columbus, Ohio (OSU Department of Dance: 7 years.)
Natalie has always been a passionate teacher and has worked with all aged children, including developing a pre-school music and movement workshop which she taught in her home in Florida. She has also worked as accompanist at the Carolina Ballet and currently at Duke University Dance Department. She is involved in bringing music to patients and visitors at both UNC Hospital (Door to Door) and Duke Hospital (Duke's Health Arts Network at Duke (H.A.N.D.)
She is fervent in her belief that music can bring magic into children's lives as they navigate growing up and can help them to express what is important. She adores her adult students who bring such focus and wisdom to their desire to make music and believes it is never to late to bring music into one's life.
