My music education began similarly to most…

Forced to play an instrument by an insistent mother, I started with violin, switching instead to piano after 3 years of torturing my parents’ ears with the screeching of out-of-tune notes.

However, it wasn’t until I picked up a guitar at the age of 13 that I finally began to enjoy making music. Determined to keep my love of guitar alive, I resisted all attempts to be given lessons and instead resorted to teaching myself by learning songs I enjoyed. I soon became confident enough to bring my playing out of the bedroom, and started earning money playing on downtown street corners and at local farmers’ markets.

Once I began attending college, I was confronted head-on with the many bad habits I’d picked up during my 5 years of self teaching. Nevertheless, with a lot of practice and patience I was able to correct my technique, and the following year I was accepted into the applied music program at Moorpark College. While at Moorpark College I studied under Ron Borczon, founder of the Music Therapy department at CSUN.

I excelled in my music theory and musicianship courses at Moorpark College, and was awarded the ‘Most Outstanding Applied Music Instrumentalist’ scholarship two years in a row. In addition to guitar, I also participated in the auditioned Vocal Ensemble, which travelled to study and perform at the classical music festival in Vienna, Austria.

After my two years of classical training I then transferred to UCLA, where I took music history, music education, and conducting courses while participating in the renowned UCLA Guitar Ensemble. I also sang in the auditioned UCLA Chamber Singers under the direction of Lesley Leighton and volunteered as lead instructor for an after-school choir of middle school students in downtown Los Angeles.

Upon graduating from UCLA I was awarded the prestigious AVANTI Award— a large sum grant given to artists by the founding family of the San Francisco Opera. The grant allowed me to move to Granada, Spain for 5 months where I took daily lessons in flamenco guitar and Spanish. My time in Spain greatly influenced my playing, and quickly converted me to a life-long lover of the passionate art of flamenco.

After returning from Spain I continued teaching and performing guitar— something I’d been doing since I first began studying at Moorpark College. Over the course of my education, I’ve taught dozens of private students, and have performed for weddings, restaurants, wineries, coffee shops, and small parties. I tend to think of musicians as ‘societies’ therapists’, and therefore view my job as being just as important as any other. Music can heal in a way nothing else can, and you never know who may be listening.

I’m now residing in Santa Barbara, CA, where I teach and perform classical and flamenco guitar music. I look forward to speaking with you about any skills I can offer, as a teacher and a performer.