Piano Lessons in Santa Ana, CA

Instruments: Piano Drums Synthesizer Latin Percussion Keyboard Djembe

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Father: Blues and Rock guitarist Mother: Self taught pianist Great uncle: Jazz pianist Sister: Self taught uke, guitar and piano

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Jazz. It's about getting beyond yourself, and learning to truly Listen. When you're playing jazz, you stay focused and in your body, but hear the authentic expressions of your bandmates. This is transcendent bliss. Flow state activities like this one will take you far in life, and allow you to cope and stay flexible in almost any situation. There's no hierarchy. Your friends might be more technically skilled at their instrument, but a good jazz musicians feels nothing but joy at the sight and sound of their bandmates shredding, crying, laughing and singing through their instruments.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
Begin. Relax our bodies for a few minutes. Get comfortable. Do a quick breathing exercise. Spend a few minutes on scales, rudiments or basic fundamental muscle memory techniques. Now we're ready to practice our target piece. Spend a third of the lesson time on this. Debrief, comment on form and expression. *Bonus* Play time / unwind. 5 minutes of jamming, improv and whatever you want to do, (if you've been a good student!) Clean up, homefun assignment, and preview of next lesson.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
My father inspired a love of blues, jazz, flamenco and rock and roll in me. In high school, my teachers were Brandon Jagow, and Alex Eugenio. They coached me in form and style on Oboe, Tenor Drums, Bass Drum, and Jazz Drum Set. They also encouraged me to practice consistently and believe in my abilities as a musician. Jazz in particular was a lesson in listening, being "felt but not heard" and letting go of your ego in improvisation, soloing, and comping. These are core concepts for any musician and any style, and if you study jazz seriously, you will learn to adapt to nearly any musical environment.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
Drums struck me from a very early age. I tried guitar in middle school but caught to drums and stuck with them throughout high school and college. All other string and melodic instruments were understood first rhythmically and secondarily in terms of scales, chords etc. I've learned that piano, bass, guitar etc. are totally unique instruments, but understanding percussion is essential to understanding timing and rhythmic complexity. Regardless of what instrument we learn, we're going to be doing rhythm exercises. We'll approach polyrhythm, do singing and clapping exercises, and learn the relationship between our body placement and our instrumental performance.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
In high school I did a jazz drum solo in front of a large audience. Everybody came up and told me I did wonderfully. This was one of the most joyful moments of my life. In college I arranged a piece called "You Yourself Are Too Serious," composed by the Mercury Program. Choreographed by Allie Schaefer, we designed a blacklight performance involving different color gloves miming shapes and patterns in space to polyrhythmic patterns. Each color was assigned to a different instrument, in order to illustrate the subtle compositional genius of the piece. It was a roaring success, and I felt such joy and gratitude in that moment. The year following, I composed a piece entitled "Schrodinger's Clap" on Logic Pro X. Along with one of my best friend's Daniel Sharp, we arranged a shadow play performance in front of a color changing floodlight. When I'd heard that people had nearly been brought to tears, I could hardly believe the power of working together with trusted artists, having faith in your musical efforts, and trusting the power of performance. Around the same time, Daniel Sharp, who'd taught me to DJ, starting booking me for House and Techno parties. Learning to read a crowd, control the energy of the room with turntables and letting go of control, I started received lots of positive feedback about my own personal compositions (which I often sneak into my DJ sets), my live techno performances, and my ability to tell stories over long time scales as a DJ. Currently I am most proud of my ability to play with almost any person of any skill level. We learn to adapt and find a mutual style. This is the most joyful part of music; sharing. You forget who you are, and remember what Love is. Music is the love of my life, and nothing is more serious to me. It is the great healer, the teacher of love and patience, and the greatest joy I have ever experienced.

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