Gabe Guerra - Whole Tone Music, Founder, Waterloo ON

Gabe Guerra started to love music at an early age. He grew up in a Central American household, where music filled every corner of the house and inspired him to begin his musical journey. “When I was 8 years old, my dad bought me my first electric guitar, and that’s what really kickstarted my journey as a musician,” shared Gabe.

As his inspiration and passion for music grew, Gabe decided to pursue music with an Arts & Business undergraduate degree along with a major in Music. He was part of the Music Living-Learning community during his first year, where he met most of his peers and mentors, such as Stephanie Kramer. She has been a dedicated voice instructor at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo since 1998. “As a voice student, getting to work with Stephanie Kramer was one of the main highlights of my university career,” said Gabe. “The mentors and peers that I gained through the Grebel community certainly made for a smoother transition into university life.”

Gabe lived at Grebel during his first year, which he found invaluable. “Living at Grebel was great as a music student, as the majority of my classes were in the same building,” he said. “It was very convenient to have the practice rooms nearby and it made my student life a little easier.” Living and studying at Grebel inspired Gabe to start his current business, a music school called Whole Tone Music. “Ultimately, I don’t think I would have started my business had I not pursued my degree in music,” expressed Gabe. “Making a living with music is something that I’m very grateful for, and my degree in music and the connections that I made at UWaterloo have made it possible.”

Gabe started Whole Tone Music in 2016 by giving music lessons in his parent’s living room. “I felt that there was a need in the community for a fresh and fun approach to learning music, so I set out to make the process of learning music as enjoyable as possible,” said Gabe.