Flute Lessons in San Diego, CA

Instruments: Piano Voice Keyboard

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
Well, for me my practice sessions begin with warm ups using scales and other technical methods. Next, I will spend time working on my repertoire. The goal is to learn more music and also practice and maintain music already learned. I try to practice for 4-5 hours a day or more if I can. If this amount is not achievable, I try to make whatever time I have very productive. My playing covers a variety of styles within the classical genre so I try to touch a piece from each classical period such as classical, baroque, romantic etc.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
My degree is in General Music and I have plans to obtain a further degree at the graduate level in piano performance. I chose my degree because I felt like it best fit my needs as a musician and made the most sense career wise for me. The school I attended for my undergraduate degree did not offer piano performance, but I was treated as a piano performance major and if my school did offer such a degree, I would have chosen it. I chose my degree because music is what I am passionate about, it is what I've wanted to be for a long time and because I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
My dream piece to perform is Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. This is my dream piece because I fell in love with it after hearing my idol Olga Kern perform it at the 2001 Van Cliburn Piano Competition which she won. I was introduced to this piece while in college through my piano professor who told me to look up Olga Kern’s performance of Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto. I was blown away by the genius of both the composer and the performer. This is truly a wonderful, powerful and massive work for any pianist to perform!

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
If I wasn't a musician, I would be a chef or a leader in business or politics. Before I met music in the 7th grade at age 10, I always wanted to be a chef. I loved cooking for friends and family and seeing their reactions as they tasted my food. It gave me great pleasure and a wonderful rewarding feeling. I would also tell people that when I grew up I would go to culinary school and become a chef. Besides music and cooking, I have extensive passions in leadership. My leadership, academic and community engagement achievements were recognized by the White House Initiative on Historically Black College and University Campuses which names me as the 2017-2018 White House HBCU All- Star- (Best and Brightest of schools in America)

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Classical is my favorite genre to play. I'm not sure why, or how to describe what classical music does to me but I'm just drawn to it. Ever since I got my first keyboard and would play the built in classical music of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Bach, I fell in love with it and knew that classical music was the style I wanted to learn and play. This music fills me so deeply and gives me so much joy and wonderful sensations. I enjoy both listening to and performing classical music. However, I also enjoy many other genres of music and piano performance.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Yes, music does run in my family. My little sister has a beautiful voice. My mother, grand mother, and aunts all sing and have wonderful voices. My uncle raps and makes music beats. My grand father sings, plays guitar, and plays the keyboard. I'm the only one in my family that plays classical music and that went to private after school lessons and to college for music. I think I took music in my family to the next level seeing that I perform professionally and take lessons. Everyone in my family loves music and music is just a major part of us.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
Well it was a gradual decision, I'm not sure I ever decided until the end of high school. During my early years in music I never thought, "Oh, I want to be a musician!" Despite the fact that music was what I loved and practiced all the time, what I wanted to be never clicked until later but it was always there. I definitely believe that if someone asked me I would've told them a classical pianist. It may have not have been a defining moment for me but there has been moments of reinforcement. One of those moments being seeing my idol Olga Kern perform, and also share about her harsh tribulations she faced on her musical journey and deciding early on in her career that she would never give up on music and pursuing her dream no matter what!

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