The Call to Teach

I fell in love with the guitar when I was ten years old, and it’s been one of the healthiest, most satisfying, long-lasting romantic relationships of my entire life.  I am still in love.

When I began to play AND sing, the magic grew.  Through performing solo and with bands, I discovered that other people also enjoyed the magic that was being channeled through me musically.

Then I found that I could teach.  This was a surprise to me. I found that I can explain concepts and demonstrate technique in a way that makes it fun for a student to absorb new information.  My students enjoy learning, and I enjoy the fact that they are enjoying it. It’s amazing to see a student’s face light up because something suddenly makes sense, and they GET IT.  I have the privilege of bringing one person after another to the club of people who love to play and/or sing.

If you want your child to have more balance and a way to soothe or express strong emotion in a healthy way – and in a way that pleases them – I would like to help you give that gift to them.  As a child and a teenager, I spent countless hours alone in a room with my guitar, and it helped so much to keep me on an even keel.  It also taught me about discipline: practicing on a daily basis brings satisfying results.  I was able to make music that was beautiful to listen to, and as long as I kept practicing, it got better and better.  It proved to me that if I wanted to accomplish something important, consistent focus on it would bring results.  That’s true of most things in life. I make a point of telling my young students that practicing an instrument is just like doing homework: you get out of it what you put into it.  And the results can be joyous.

Perhaps YOU, an adult, are the musician or prospective musician.  It’s never too late to fall in love with a musical instrument! It’s a joy and a meditation, a sedative or an outlet, and it’s all YOURS.  There is always a creative element to playing an instrument – even when two different people play the same music, it never sounds exactly the same, because a person’s personality always shines through.  The creation of music or the re-creation of music is magical.  And I would like to give you a guided tour of that wonder-world.

If, by chance, you should find that you want to play with other people, I will show you how to do that and have a BLAST.  The word for what you do with an instrument, and what children do with toys is “PLAY.” Fun is always the objective, and I’ve never had more fun in my life than when I was playing with other great musicians.  Making music with other people creates art beyond understanding.  This is not just fun, it is BIG FUN!  I love giving people the tools they need to be able to experience that.

I’ll teach you how to play and sing easily and comfortably, and give you the foundation you need to play any style of music you desire, well.  I’ve been privileged to have really amazing teachers as I learned and developed, and I’ve taken all the best techniques from them with regard to sharing musical knowledge.

I’ve made music my life’s work, and I have lots to show you.