Garo Saraydarian teaches musicianship and music theory at MIT. He received his M.M. with a concentration in jazz studies from Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory, certification from the Kodaly Music Institute at the New England Conservatory, and a B.A. in music from the University of California, Riverside. He is currently completing his PhD in Educational Studies from Lesley University.
Garo's musical experiences began with dual study of the violin and trombone. He has performed with the Fenway Jazz Art Orchestra, Dig Trio, Phil Wilson’s Rainbow Band, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol and WhatsNext?, and the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra including performances at the Caramoor Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland and the Jazz Education Network Conferences in New Orleans.
Recently he has moved into exploring the oud and Carnatic music. Garo's research interests include historical, cognitive, and cross-cultural pedagogical methodologies in music education, descriptive review, and philosophy of education. He is currently working on projects that use technology to enhance musical learning.
In addition to MIT, Garo is an Assistant Professor in the Harmony department at Berklee College of Music and an instructor in the Transformative Education department at Boston College. He teaches in the music education and music theory programs at the Longy School of Music where he has helped develop a more inclusive music theory curriculum.