Piano Lessons in Pearland, TX

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Djembe

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
Once I was in college I started picking up gigs on drumset in cover bands around the Houston area and playing at various churches. When I moved to Brenham this continued and I recorded on several studio sessions along the way as well as being a choral scholar (which was paid). From there I started my own band and continue to sing, play and teach for a living. I knew from an early age this is what I would be doing and I was very lucky to have family and friends that believed in my work and talents.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
If I weren't a musician I would most likely see myself as a chef or a personal trainer. My love for food is boundless and endless and I would love to study culinary traditions around the world one day. Cooking reminds me of music in that there are so many possible ingredients and ways to prepare food but the joy is in the simple common processes that lead to the same end result: eating a delicious meal. Diet and exercise are very important to me so teaching others about healthy eating and fitness would be a natural extension of that.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
My favorite style of music to play is improvisation in which nobody says or communicates what they are playing except through their playing in real time. I have learned so much from countless hours of this type of improvised jam mentality with my peers through the years. There is something unexplainable about the rush of energy that can happen when everything is clicking on all cylinders, everyone is fully engaged in listening and noone is overplaying their respective instruments. I highly recommend musicians to spend time improvising!

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I was seemingly born into this world singing and for the first 10 years of my life that was my main instrument. I decided to start playing percussion (which includes many instruments) to be in the school band because I was already exposed to alot of band music from my grandfather and thought it would be amazing to be a part of. Along the way I started playing more and more piano and by college I was really increasing my practice time on all of the instruments and diving deep into music theory partly so that I could better write my own music.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Luckily I am blessed to have some musical family members starting with my grandfather who was a singer in choirs growing up and had a deep love for jazz and classical music. My mother was a saxophone player up until college and showed me some great music. My brother is a singer who plays guitar and today is also a middle school choir teacher in Franklin, Tennessee. My younger sister is a great singer and hearing her always challenged me to be better at what I do. All of my lovely family has inspired me in some way to be a better person and musician.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
My dream piece to perform on drumset is The Black Page by Frank Zappa and any Vinnie Coliauta transcription. Every time I hear Vinnie Coliauta play I am blown away by his combination of musicality. technicality, fearlessness and his ability to make you shake your head. For piano it would probably be anything from the Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach. simply because there is not one note out of place in the layered counterpoint contained in those 24-pieces. The independence required in this music is akin to an expert-level drumset player.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
Believe it or not, half of my practice is spent intensely listening to as much great music as possible. This keeps me inspired and informs my time spent practicing on my instrument because I am subconsciously going to strive for a level that matches what the music I listen to sounds like. Most of my practice sessions on drumset include warmups from Stick Control followed by learning transcriptions from my personal collection. Piano practice always includes 2-hand scales and arpeggios and sight reading. Other than that, every session is a different experience.

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