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BM, University of North Florida, Music Performance BM, University of North Florida, Jazz Studies MM, Manhattan School of Music, Jazz Composition
2012 - NEFJA McCoy Scholarship 2014 - Downbeat Award for best Jazz Composition 2014 - Accepted to the Disney All-American College Band 2017 - Became a member of GRAMMY-nominated Drummer Ulysses Owens Jr.'s New Century Big Band 2018 - Participated in the international arrangers workshop with the Metropole Orchestra in The Netherlands
I'm a passionate and motivated instructor who loves working with students and sharing my love of music. With degrees from the University of North Florida and Manhattan school of music in jazz studies, clarinet performance, and jazz composition, working all over the world has been one of the greater experiences of my life as a musician, and I've had the opportunity to play both at the Avery Fischer Hall in New York, as well as touring Israel and working with the metropole orchestra in the Netherlands. I am a saxophonist, composer, clarinetist, flutist, and orchestrator. I am able to teach lessons from beginner to advanced in any of these categories.
I've taught music both privately and in large class settings for roughly 5 years, including my work at "Don't Miss A Beat" - a non-profit in Jacksonville, FL lead by Grammy-winning drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. I have since traveled the world performing as well as conducting residencies in places like Millersville University in Pennsylvania. I was a regular member of the jacksonville Symphony, now a member of the Gotham Kings and The Ulysses Owens, Jr. Big Band, the Anthony Nunziata band, the Robert Edwards big band, and more.
I cater my teaching style to the needs of each individual student based on their performance. For beginners, I start with very simple and tactile exercises built to familiarize the student with the feeling and the habit of playing an instrument or writing a composition. For intermediate students, I dedicate the lessons toward developing a routine that works for them in practice - tone, technique, articulation, stamina, etc... For advanced students, my goal is to get them to the next level and help them discover the unique voice that every individual is gifted with, so that their music can inspire and invigorate the world around them.
As a teacher, I am very patient, but I am also very strict. I will not lie to a student if they show lackluster improvement or fail to complete the assignments given to them between lessons. I will never give a student an assignment that I am not confident that they can complete before the next lesson. This ensures that if they simply put in the time, their confidence will likely grow with their dedication, not shrink. If a student is honest and demonstrates frustration with their particular instrument or practice, I will be more than willing to consider alternative means of training on a regular basis if it means that the student will continue to put in the necessary practice.