Started playing at age 4 in 1984.
Education:
Southwestern Community College - Degree in professional music
Roosevelt University - Bachelor's degree in Jazz studies and commercial music
Roosevelt University - Masters Degree in Jazz studies and commercial music
Soma Institute - Degree in massage therapy
When did you start to play? At age 4.
When did you start to notice that your playing was different from everyone else's? When did you find your voice as a player? I never thought of my
playing as different, it was just mine. I now think of voice as my main instrument and while I performed for years, I didn't know that I really found my voice
when I was 24, and was composing my own original music.
How do you keep your playing fresh? I try not to force anything. I always wait for inspiration.
What do you do when you get stuck? When I get stuck, sometimes I listen to other styles to help with new ideas... or sometimes you just have to wait.
What do you still find hard to do? I find it hard to find time to practice.
How often are you surprised by your playing, or what you’re listening to, or music in general?I am often surprised by my playing and my original music.
Do you have a regular practice regimen? Do you have a practice "tool-kit" - metronome, tuner, recorder, etc.? Do you have a special place for practice set aside in your home? How do you practice on the road or when you travel? :
I'm afraid there is nothing regular about my practice. I simply work on what I need to work on when I need to work on it. In my apartment, I have a music room with
all my gear. That is where I get all my work done. I can sing on the road, but that is it as far as practice goes.
Is there a piece of gear you just can't live without? I really can't live without my keyboard. That is where I get all my work done.
Are there one or two core ideas that are central to your teaching that you make sure every student learns? I want to make the learning process fun. If
students aren't interested or having a good time, they won't put any time into it. I always find a way to make the experience move in the direction they want.
Then they will put more time into their goal.
Do you find yourself returning to listen to the artists who inspired you when you first started to play? Who are they? I go back and listen to almost
everyone all the time. I like to revisit lots of artists.
Does your playing change when you switch instruments? My playing definitely changes when I switch instruments. It just depends on your comfort level. Everything feels different.
How often, when you're playing, do you find those moments of pure music, when your head is clear, your fingers are working, there are no distractions, and it’s just you and the music?
I don't feel like that all the time, but when I am totally relaxed and confident then things just flow.
We have a feature called "Big Ears", where we suggest interesting music to our members that they might not have heard before. What would you suggest for them? Jeff Buckley,
Buena Vista Social Club.
What are you listening to these days? Do you search out music that's new and unfamiliar to you? I have been listening to a lot of world music and listening for new ideas
to incorporate into my music.
Do you have a musical wish list - other instruments to learn, people to play with, artists or styles to explore? Not really. I just want to be happy with where I am.
Have you ever had a really great teacher? What made him/her so good? Yes. They have a way of explaining things that makes everything seem easy.
How do you learn best? Combination of by ear and note.
Do you have any practice tips we can share with our subscribers? When you are learning a song, start at the end and work backwards. Then you keep repeating
material and solidifying it. Also, when you can't get a section, play it 3 times in a row correctly. If you can't do that slow down and keep starting over. The best thing you can
do as a musician in training is to be like a sponge. There are so many people with great styles and sounds, and the learning experience never ends.
