My Background

I started playing guitar at age 13 and immediately fell in love with the instrument. I had a phenomenal teacher at the beginning who taught me to read music and play music I liked, hard rock at the time. Unfortunately he left to continue his own studies and my new teacher discouraged me from continuing to read. Looking back it was because he couldn't read (a common problem in guitarist/teachers). Being a kid and not knowing better I continued to play songs and got into blues and improvisation. During my senior year I joined my high school jazz band and realized the deficiency I had from not being able to read. I found a new teacher and started to improve my reading skills. I had decided major in music for college and at age 20 started teaching at a local music store. From the beginning I had all my students learn to read as part of their weekly lessons and work with them on music they liked, as my first teacher had done. I continued to teach through college and by the time I graduated all my income was from music either performing or teaching. I worked at different music stores over the years until 2002 when I opened my own music store, High Note Music. I sold the store 4 years later because I wanted to focus on teaching and not running a business. I started teaching general music at Parke House Academy in 2007 and enjoyed to challenge of getting young children to learn the basics of music, I also continued to teach guitar lessons as well. In 2010 I started at Winter Park High teaching guitar. I built the program from only a 1 year class to a 4 year program. I had taken a hiatus from private lessons a few years after starting at Winter Park High, but I'm ready to start again. I have so much knowledge and experience that I want to share with those who really want to learn the instrument and music.