About Larry Gookin

Larry Gookin, Distinguished Professor and Emeritus Professor of Music at Central Washington University, retired in 2015 after 34 years as the university’s Director of Bands. He is the former principal trombone of the Eugene and Yakima Symphony Orchestras and is Emeritus Artistic Director and Conductor of the Seattle Wind Symphony. A graduate of the University of Oregon and the University of Montana, Gookin taught band for 10 years in Montana and Oregon public schools. He is a Yamaha Master Educator.

Q & A

Q&A with Yamaha Master Educator Larry Gookin

Yamaha Master Educator Larry Gookin shares his passion and inspiration for music.

Master Educator Collective

Advice from Yamaha Master Educator Larry Gookin

Say Something When I was 15, my high school band director, Don Lawrence, told me to “say something” when I was playing a trombone solo with the jazz band. That simple comment has remained at the foundation of my career in music as a conductor, performer and educator. To “say something” implies there is more […]