My first instrument was the accordion at age seven. I started playing piano by rote when I was eleven. I was playing Classical way before I embarked on my Salsa/Jazz specialty. I studied classical piano at Cañada College under Phillip Ienni, composition with Henry Onderdonk at SFSU, and at UCLA I studied graduate piano with Peggy Sheffield in preparation for passing the graduate exams in piano (requirement for the doctoral program). I have played at many major venues as a young Rock 'n Roller, and later in life, as a Salsa and Jazz pianist. I am enthusiastic about teaching young people about music and the piano.  Having taught beginning piano since the 70s, I am well acquainted with the classical literature. 
  

I grew up in Santa Cruz, California, and began playing piano at age 9 with the help of my older sister who also played piano. During my high school years, I focused on composition, which became my main area of study during college. Through my college training at the University of California in Santa Cruz and San Jose State University I supported myself by giving piano lessons, playing organ and piano for churches, and working as a freelance pianist. Currently, I am happy to be spending my time honing my keyboard abilities, teaching others to love the piano and music in general, and composing new pieces of music. 

I'm an experienced and caring instructor who loves to see students empowered in their own creativity and excellence.  I received my Bachelor's in Music Education from Ithaca College in 1988.  I have recorded and released three projects so far that have received radio play internationally and been on the charts on college & public radio.  My travels performing music in the U.S. and beyond have enriched my life immeasurably and I love sharing the spark of imagination with my students.

Music has taken me to see places of the world I would have never been, music has given me some of the coolest jobs in my life. Playing organ for the San Jose Sharks NHL team was a dream come true, and I am still the youngest person to have held that job in the NHL.  They still use all of my recordings. I went to the Virgin Islands last year to perform with a band on New Year's Eve, total paradise all to enjoy just for playing some music! I currently travel the country for Roland Digital Piano Company and enjoy being able to perform for different audiences on high quality instruments.

I am musician with experience in both voice and piano. I have two degrees in vocal performance and several years of experience playing in Jazz, R&B and Pop bands for many years. In addition, I served as the Minister of Music for Saint John Missionary Baptist Church in Long Beach. Also, I was a keyboardist for Reigning Life Fellowship and Christ Our Redeemer in Long Beach and Irvine. I have performed The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, Bob in The Old Maid and The Thief, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Imperial Commisario in Madama Butterfly, as well as The Tinman in The Wiz.  This summer I will make my professional debut singing Cascada in The Merry Widow with Pocket Opera.  I've also sung the bass solo in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor. I've sung for The Links Incorporated at their regional and national conventions in Washington D.C and Orlando, including singing before Condoleezza Rice. Always eager for acquiring knowledge, I've attended summer training programs that include the International Lyric Academy in Rome and Viterbo and Opera in the Ozarks.