Experience Summary
I was a featured violin soloist in my Junior High School orchestra before switching to guitar. I performed in rock & roll, jazz, and country bands before enrolling at Berklee College of Music in Boston where I studied with teachers including: Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick, John Scofield, Michael Gibbs, and Charlie Banacos, earning a Bachelors of Composition, Magna Cum Laude. I built a commercial music and audio post-production business in San Francisco, scoring advertising and television shows. I have designed services for Internet music pioneer, Liquid Audio, taught Film Sound at The Academy of Art College in San Francisco, and trained staff in technology and social service companies. I have been teaching guitar since the early 1980s.
Teaching Style
I love to share my passion for music and believe that every student can learn and become successful in reaching their goals. People learn the most when they are engaged and have the opportunity to practice and share what they are learning. One of the best ways to learn is to teach someone else. Teaching “at” people is not effective. My approach - First: Define the student’s goals and needs and establish clear learning objectives. Second: Teach through direct experience taking into account each student’s learning style. Third: Deliver information simply, concretely, with elements of unexpectedness, emotion and a story. Fourth: Give students the opportunity to practice and integrate what they are learning as soon, and as often as possible.