Gina Samardge draws heavily from the Orff-Schulwerk approach to teaching music, but most certainly makes it her own. When teaching, she is known for her warm, engaging style and ability to blur the lines between art forms. Gina is a big believer in the power of the arts and feels that everyday she sees examples of how arts transfer more than just the ability to sing or dance but also teach us, at a root level, how to learn. She is fascinated by and uses pattern-based music built on natural speech and body rhythms to impart to her students that wonderful sense of "I can."

Gina takes this elemental interest in the arts with her whether she is in the classroom teaching students or other teachers, or on stage exhibiting her innate abilities as a theatrical clown, dramatic actor, singer and multi-instrumentalist. She has, quite literally been around the world sharing her love of the arts.

In Central Ohio where she grew up, Gina taught music for two years at the Marion Elementary School where she had an after school 3rd grade "Orffestra" and African Drumming group that was organized through and performed at area schools. After moving to New York in 2002 she gained experience performing with VOICETheatre, The Soon-To-Be-World-Famous Female Clown Troupe and the Main Squeeze Orchestra, an all female accordion ensemble. She wrote a song for the short film, "The Creation," which won the San Francisco Short Film Festival Award for Direction and has created and arranged music for Red Mailbox, an experimental theater company based in Brooklyn. She played the role of Zaida in the 2009 fringe festival work Pawnshop Accordions and in early 2012 Gina shined on a 17 date tour with acclaimed indie artist Dare Dukes' band as the accordionist and supporting vocalist.

Gina has performed extensively with the Maestrocities, a New York based clown and music ensemble that took their show to China in 2007 to perform at the largest clown festival on record for two weeks where they also were specially selected to perform at Shaghai's Oriental Theater in two shows that were syndicated thoughout Asia. Since then, the Maestrocities have done everything, from writing, producing and hosting their own variety nights, to creating a radio show for The Antique Phonograph Music Program, to creating a viral ad for iPhone App creator, Smule. Gina has found great reward in performing with the Maestrocities, especially when they have mounted their comedic versions of Peter And The Wolf and the William Tell Overture with a full orchestra, most recently at the Brooklyn museum where the show was referred to as "the Museum's most successful family program in 12 years."

Gina is currently the music teacher at the Randolph School in Wappinger's Falls, NY, an inspired private school for kindergarten through 6th grade students. From 2007-2009 she directed The Brooklyn Conservatory Children's Chorus and has run special summer camps in assciation with the Conservatory to produce children-created theatrical works. She has built her business, Compass Arts, from its initial stages as sing-alongs in Brooklyn to a blooming set of indedendent classes in Mahattan and Beacon, NY. Gina was selected as a Time Out NY Kids' Top Choice for her sing-a-long birthday parties and was a Nickelodeon Parents' Pick Finalist for Party Performers in NYC as well. In early 2012 Gina appeared on Sesame Street in the episode "The All Of Our Senses Club" leading a song for a batch of kids who were using sign language to perform the lyrics.

Gina periodically engages in continued Orff-Schulwerk training, participates in clowning and theater workshops by industry luminaries and has a BA in music from the University of Cincinnati.