Drum Lessons in Albuquerque, NM

Instruments: Piano Drums Keyboard

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
My Bachelor's Degree is in Music. At my school at the Bachelor's level, they didn't offer specializations because it was a general degree where you studied all the main aspects of music (theory, performance, composition, and history). So I took courses in all of these areas even though I did take a few music education classes to see if I wanted to teach at the high school level. My Master's degree is in Music History and Ethnomusicology because I developed an interest in learning about instruments used in other cultures, such as African and Asian cultures. I was also very interested in learning about other cultures so this allowed me to pursue the two interests of music and culture. I started developing an interest in African music because of Neil Peart's influence on me and his interest in African drumming. I also enjoyed music history so I took a couple of extra courses in that. The way the different eras brought about new genres and styles of music fascinated me and it was interesting to see the changes over long periods of time.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
I normally would list songs by Rush such as "Xanadu," "Hemispheres," "2112" and "Cyngus X-1" as my dream pieces because they are considered to be epic pieces by professional musicians to play. I have already played them live so I don't know if they would count any longer as "dream pieces," but I still enjoy playing them, whether by myself or with others. As far as a "dream piece" that I haven't had the opportunity to play yet, I would include "The Count of Tuscany" by Dream Theater. It is one of the most recent songs I've been hooked on that is up there with the Rush songs mentioned above due to its song length, variety of moods and high level of technicality. Both the drumming and keyboard performances in it are extremely technical.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I do actually work as a translator in addition to working as a music teacher. Teaching music will always be my first love but I also love languages. I work as a Spanish to English translator and I translate materials in the fields of music, medicine, and law. As far as music is concerned, I can translate academic articles for journals, music history books, books on ethnomusicology, performance books for instruments and user manuals for instruments. I've also thought about translating website content for musicians and record labels.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
My favorite style of music to play is definitely progressive metal because it incorporates so many different elements from other genres such as classical, heavy metal, jazz and ethnic music. I enjoy the technicality of it (for example, the different time signatures) and the variety of moods and sounds. I love that there is no limit to the length of a song or variety of tempos. I tend to enjoy playing songs that do not use the same tempo throughout the song and I love playing with people who are not afraid to master their instruments. I admire's progressive metal's level of creativity and experimentalism.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I originally had to learn a second instrument for my degree (piano). Students had to obtain a certain level in piano performance in order to take the exams towards the end of the degree requirements. Even though I learned the second instrument out of educational necessity, the truth is that I really enjoyed it and realized I could teach piano as well. So I've been working towards advancing my level of piano performance so I can teach it better. I also wanted to advance my performance level of piano so I could write my own music.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
I'm not sure about my other relatives, but my mom supposedly played guitar for a time in a band while in school and my dad wanted to learn drumset even though he never had the opportunity to do so.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I wanted to be a professional musician from the time I was 5 years old. At that time, I thought I would become a singer, but my interest grew as I got older and by the time I entered college, I knew I truly wanted to become a professional in the music industry, whether it be performing, teaching, or both.

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