Mr. Gardner is a Virginia native, having been born in the historic city of Manassas during the previous century.  He began playing stringed instruments in the 5th grade at Baldwin Elementary School on the violin and began taking private lessons the following year.  Mr. Gardner very quickly knew that playing stringed instruments was to be a life long pursuit.  During his time in middle and high school Mr. Gardner was a member of the Northern Virginia Youth Symphony Orchestra and was also accepted into the National Symphony Orchestra's Youth Fellowship Program.  Upon graduating from Brentsville District High School, Mr. Gardner went to Dallas Texas and attended the Meadows School of the Arts, part of Southern Methodist University, for two years.  Mr. Gardner completed his music education degree at George Mason University.

Mr. Gardner also holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Religion from Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Virginia and is currently working on his Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary located in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Throughout his career, besides teaching, Mr. Gardner has played as a violinist in various orchestras.  In Texas he played in the Plano Symphony and the North Arlington Symphony.  Here in Virginia he was the Associate Concertmaster of the Tysons McLean Orchestra and is currently the Principal Second Violinist for the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra.  He also plays in the Arlington Philharmonic, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of D.C., and is the first violnist of the Haase String Quartet.

Mr. Gardner and his wife Claire live in Leesburg, Virginia and have four wonderful children--three sons and one daughter, ranging in ages from 17 to 9 years old.