Piano, Voice, and Songwriting
- Master of Church Music in Conducting, Southwestern Theological Seminary
- Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Composition, Stetson University (cum laude)
Education and awards:
Notable roles/performance experience:
- Recorded 3 albums of original piano arrangements including pop, worship and Christmas music, exceeding 5,000 in total distribution
- Wrote, scored and directed five full-length stage musicals for casts of 250 and more
- Produced and recorded the first album of indigenous worship music in the country of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa
Teaching experience:
- 25+ years of private music instruction for piano, voice and songwriting
- 20+ years as a church music and worship leader, including training and directing children, middle school and high school students, adult choirs, soloists and orchestra in weekly performances and preparation
- 20+ years of experience in training and preparing teen musicians for weekly worship band leadership, including teaching harmonization, vocal style, blend and performance technique
Tony loves helping students who want to learn to play in rock bands or worship bands, as well as those who want to pursue a degree in classical music or become professional performers. He encourages his students to focus on the styles and songs that interest them most, while at the same time, teaching them the fundamentals of playing, writing or singing to help them become expressive and technically confident as musicians.
Tony’s lessons are energetic and always include variety. Along with classical studies, Tony teaches his students how to play from chord charts, how to improvise on pop or worship music, and how to create their own arrangements. Tony thrives when helping students work out challenges on the spot, as well as demonstrating solutions for stronger independent practice techniques. He’s also still a kid at heart and loves working with students of all ages. Tony’s ultimate desire is for every student to be inspired creatively and to love music more because of his time with them, all while he helps them master musical skills that they can use for the rest of their life.
Tony has spent much of the last several years in Africa helping vulnerable kids. Teaching music for fun, rafting on the Zambizee River, bungee jumping into the gorge at Victoria Falls, and even being charged by a hippo while kayaking in Kenya are among his favorite adventures from those years. At home, Tony loves mountain biking, water sports, weight lifting and, most of all, playing with his amazing grandkids.