Frank Gunderson: A Student, Teacher, and Lover of Music

Frank Gunderson

Many people enjoy music, nearly everyone. Some people are even involved in music in some way, such as performing or teaching. Then, there are a few people, like Frank Gunderson, who have made music their life, and their life’s work.

It isn’t only music that defines the life and career of Frank Gunderson, however, but also his accomplishment and success in the arena of music. Those accomplishments and successes have also come in a variety of roles at various music and educational institutions.

It has also been over two decades since Frank Gunderson has been collecting accolades and awards. Over that time, Gunderson, who has earned his doctorate and the title Dr. Gunderson has traveled all over the world following his passion for music and people.

It was during those travels that Frank Gunderson discovered he was not only a teacher and lover of music but also a student himself. Through his ventures into places like East Africa, Gunderson has taught, learned, and shared his experiences with others.

From these lessons and experiences, Frank has used his teaching platform and has written books to educate and enlighten. Gunderson has also taken to film and making documentaries as a medium to educate, share his experience, and promote music.

In 2022, Frank received an honorable mention for the Fulbright Distinguished Chair Award Best Book Prize. A few years earlier he earned an honorable mention for the Alan Meriam Book Prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology, an organization that also awarded Gunderson the JHK Nketia Best Book Prize in 2012.

Today, Frank Gunderson is the Professor of Musicology at Florida State University. From his education to his vocation, and from his travels to his ventures, music has surrounded and helped to define – a teacher, lover, and student of music.