Blog Relaunch: Hello Again
“I don’t believe your zip code should prevent you from accessing great music or effective teaching.”
Teaching a masterclass to the Grand Rapids Community College Jazz Ensemble with my dear friend, Dr. Shannon Shaker.
Well, hey.
It has certainly been a while.
After a while blogging, I had kind of stopped for a while because in my own mind, I could not really find anything that I thought people would want to read.
However, as it stands, I had what I would consider to be a mini-epiphany while I was in Michigan touring with flugelhornist extraordinary Dmitri Matheny.
While I was doing a Q&A at a high school a student asked me what made me want to get into music as a career.
My answer is this:
I love music so much that I have to share what I know, so I sought out all of my incredible mentors to gain the knowledge, skills, and experiences to be able to get the best information in everyone’s hands.
I grew up in a rural area of West Michigan. I remember my friends from college, many of whom were from suburbs of Detroit or Detroit all saying that they had grown up going to see the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on a regular basis. I never had access to that kind of concert experience and as a result, I felt like I had missed out.
The question is: why am I here, blogging again?
It’s because I don’t believe your zip code should prevent you from accessing information from lifelong experience.
This blog is going to be a resource for anybody who wants to know more about my areas of expertise: jazz, improvisation, saxophone, recording albums, and more. I have worked hard in my career to become the best teacher and performer I can be and to put myself in situations where I, myself, am learning from direct torch carriers of my profession.
And I care so much about teaching that I want to share this with YOU.
Join me as I journey through frequently asked and not-so-frequently asked questions. I hope to create a space that assists anybody reading this in their journey to grow as a player, educator, composer, or artist.
Have a question? Great! Comment, and I’ll plan future blog content around it.
Until next time!
