Like many of his fellow freshman classmates, Gale auditioned for Mask and Wig knowing little about the organization. At that point, his only exposure to the group was the band’s performance during Penn Preview Days. “They made an announcement that they had members who were graduating,” Gale remembers. “I saw Will Corbitt—the pianist at the time—smile a little at that remark.” Corbitt was a senior, which meant there was going to be an opening for a piano player. Gale auditioned for the Mask and Wig band during his first week of school, and soon he was consumed by the hectic life of the musical comedy troupe.
Gale had his first piano lessons at age six. He continued to play through middle school, where his newfound interest in jazz led him to spending two weeks of the summer at the Maine Jazz Camp, the place that really fostered his love for jazz. “It was a really cool place for me to be as a growing musician,” he notes. “A lot of kids go [to Maine Jazz Camp] when they’re pretty young and just starting out with their instrument. Yet they’re starting to realize how much they’re into the music they’re making.” In seventh grade, Gale switched instructors and began studying jazz piano more thoroughly.
What Gale enjoys most about jazz music, and improvisation in particular, is what he calls systematic expression. “It’s its own kind of math or science: you’re learning specific rhythmic patterns and what types of chords fit together...you’re using this methodical process to create what feels like free–form art.”
Confident in his performance skills, Gale now has his sights set on writing songs for Mask and Wig band. He’s talked to his piano teacher at home and is currently planning 10 weeks of lessons in musical composition and arrangement. “There’s a very particular way to write for four horns,” he explains, noting that the band is very brass and woodwind–heavy. “My goal is to master that method.”
As for stress–management at school, music is Gale’s release. “On days when I feel crazy busy and run–down, I go to Fisher Bennett and play one of the pianos there for at least an hour,” he said. “Instantly, I feel so much better.”
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