Gary Bogers Jr. served as graduate teaching assistant and associate for class piano at the University of Central Florida from 2020 to 2022. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music at the University of Central Florida, continuing his education there as a graduate student specializing in musicology and piano instruction. Gary completed his M.A. thesis as well, surveying the conceptualization of the musical adaptation of the 1961 Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. His interests in music research have resulted in studies including the development of keyboard mechanisms in Medieval and Renaissance-era Europe and critical reactions to the early operas of Richard Strauss. Gary has additionally presented on his research projects, most notably his 2019 undergraduate thesis Music and the Presidency: How Campaign Songs Sold the Image of Presidential Candidates at the University of California, Davis. His passion for scholarship has resulted in his acceptance into the Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda honors societies. Gary specializes in theoretical application to piano works while also applying extensive ear-training to better identify formal constructs. Instruction additionally includes theoretical application to popular music, helping to facilitate comprehension of basic theory through its utilization in works of contemporary music. This includes identification of harmonic progressions and their relation to both chord tones and non-chord tones, applying additional instruction on intervallic relationships and the intentional usage of dynamics in musical phrases. Additional teaching has included a four-month period teaching English as a second language in China as part of the International Language Program in 2014. The experience found Gary teaching lessons through the use of piano and guitar performance, instructing on a variety of English-language poems and songs. Gary has additionally collaborated in both ensemble and chamber events, taking him from Orlando, Florida to Acqui Terme, Italy where he served as a UCF student representative at the 2021 InterHarmony International Music Festival. Additional collaborations have included those with the UCF chamber orchestra and the UCF Knights Trumpet Ensemble. He has also accompanied both undergraduate and graduate students for composition recitals and performance competitions, participating as an accompanist in the 2021 UCF Concerto/Aria Competition. Additional experiences have included accompanying for a masterclass taught by acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham and accompanying for the 2022 National Young Composers Challenge Composium for UCF Celebrates the Arts in Orlando, Florida. The experiences have fostered his passion for musical collaboration, allowing for communal expressions of artistry through an array of musical styles.