As a musician who has played thousands of gigs since the 1970s, my teaching is informed by performance experiences in concert halls, theatres, clubs, festivals, coffee houses, colleges, schools, weddings, corporate events, live radio and TV, various recording sessions and just about every other type of venue and occasion you can imagine. I have also performed in a wide variety of styles, including rock, jazz, blues, funk, classical, worldbeat (soukous, reggae, calypso, zouk), dixieland (playing tenor banjo) and in conducted orchestras and wind ensembles. This rich and varied background helps me offer guidance to students of all levels and interests.
Teaching has been a natural manifestation of my interest in music. I started teaching in my late teens as I realized I had gathered an amount of knowledge and skill that could be useful to others. Since then, I have worked with over 1000 individual students. With that experience, I can very quickly assess a student's current competency and where they can improve. I am skilled at structuring a varied, multifaceted lesson that makes for an interesting learning experience. I have a good intuitive feel for what motivates a student to practice. I understand the challenges of developing basic musicianship and know firsthand the patience required of oneself and others in that process.
The music business is complicated and presents myriad challenges. Just getting a band together and keeping it going can seem a huge challenge! For instance, as a member of Boston-based, worldbeat band Wildest Dreams for 11 years, I wore a lot of hats:
| booking agent | database admin | promoter | publicist | graphic designer | bulk mail specialist |
| songwriter | lyricist | guitarist | arranger | stage director | soundman |
| personnel manager | recording & mix engineer | merchandise sales & development | cd distribution & promotion | ride coordinator | chart writer |
| transcriber | customer service rep | office manager | webmaster | computer tech | etc! etc! etc! |
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