Bio

A music major with a specialization in piano
performance, my strongest mentors were my jazz
improvisation teacher, renown educator and Blue
Note label recording artist Charlie Shoemake, as
well as California State University professor and
concert artist from Chile, Dr. Jacqueline Salas.
While traditional university education emphasizes
classical music, my deep fascination for jazz, blues
and gospel made me tirelessly seek out instructors
and books from which to learn. The best teacher
was the real world of peformance with many bands
and ensembles - pop, rock, jazz and gospel.

I studied further under Dr. Joel Ewing, who holds a
double doctorate in piano and voice from the famed
Julliard School. He advanced my skills as a piano
and voice teacher, and encouraged me to offer both
disciplines to my own students.

I haven't kept track, but I think I have guided easily
a thousand students since I began teaching in my
freshman year in college. My students have been
children to adults, housewives as well as lawyers,
actors as well as other pro musicians from other
instruments. I have learned from them what
people REALLY need in music education as much
as I hope they have learned from me about the
art of creating and enjoying music.