1. How long have you been teaching at Metro Music Makers, and what do you teach?
I teach primarily guitar, but also ukulele, bass, drums and piano. I’ve been with Metro Music Makers since November 2019.
2. What is your first musical memory?
I remember my dad picking me up and dancing to “Drive” by the Cars.
3. What was the first album you bought?
Oh man, it was a cassette—Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?” I still listen to the album, but the tape is long gone.
4. Who are you listening to right now?
Right now I’m listening to a lot of Bach played on the banjo by Bela Fleck and John Bullard. Also Muddy Waters, The Band and The Weeknd.
5. Why do you love teaching?
I love sharing my passion for music and the arts. It is truly amazing seeing students grow and develop their own passion and musicianship.
6. Who inspires you as a musician?
The artist that has inspired me the most has probably been Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin. His tone, his prowess in the studio, his stage presence and his versatility are incredible.
7. What musical accomplishment are you most proud of?
Probably my doctorate in music, but I also love knowing that I’ve played a role in the musical lives of my students.
8. Tell me about one of your best moments as a teacher.
When I was teaching at a university in Florida, my students formed their own bands and each student wrote, recorded and produced their own original song. They got other students (and myself) to sit in on instruments/tracks when needed. We ended up making an album with all their songs, including original album art created by one of those students. I still have the album and will listen to it when I’m feeling nostalgic.
9. What’s the latest in your own music world?
10. What’s the latest in your world outside of music?
Well, I consider myself a romantic, a dreamer in many ways (I’m always looking for love in almost every aspect of life). I’m in new a relationship, and I’m in love; it’s very exciting. Apart from that, I’ve been doing a lot of reading. I switch between fiction, philosophy and spiritual readings. Respectively, the most recent have been Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” Foucault’s “Madness and Civilization” and Tolle’s “The Power of Now.”