Family of Music

I grew up in a musical family.  My mother played piano and sang.  My father played guitar and sang.  My sister plays piano and also sings.  Music is in my blood and has been an important part of my entire life.  Further back, my grandfather was a minister who would leave the pulpit if the pianist was out and would learn that Sunday’s songs by ear and accompany the congregation during hymns.  So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I grew up learning music from an early age.

Life of Teaching

Most of my family were teachers.  One of my grandmothers was even a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse.  Both my mother and her sister taught school and my father taught Sunday School.  Even both of my father’s brothers were teachers.  Watching them help make teaching a natural choice for me- it comes so easily to me.  As my personal experience with the guitar grew, I found that I really enjoyed teaching music and found it quite rewarding.  I work hard to instill the same enjoyment and enthusiasm of music into each of my students.

Starting at an Early Age

I got my first guitar when I was fourteen years old, for Christmas.  Since then, I have played virtually each and every day that I could.  Nothing could keep me away from a guitar unless there simply wasn’t one around.

During my musical career, I’ve played solo, in a duet, and in larger groups and in various roles.  I love entertaining people and enjoy audience interaction.

Teach a Man to Fish  Play Music

My teaching style combines my dual heritage of teaching and being raised in a musical family.  Both of these professions require patience, practice and a faith in a positive outcome.  I’m proud to say that several of my previous students have gone on to play semi-professionally.  One of my current students plays in a local praise-and-worship band.  Years later, most of my previous students still play guitar for their own enjoyment with friends and family.  A recent success story involves several students from a local high school who chose to learn to play the guitar for their senior project – all received an ‘A’ for the project.