Tell us about your background; how did you get started working in the music industry? What inspired you to work in music?
My Dad is a Jazz drummer who had played in the Army Band and gigged around town professionally. While I didn’t initially want to play music, once I stopped playing sports in Middle School (believe it or not, I was much smaller than the other kids and kept getting injured) I wanted something to fill my time. Music seemed like a natural solution, but I didn’t want to play drums, so I chose the bass because of their similar roles. When I started listening to Jazz, I quickly found that I was much more interested in figuring out how each song was created, as well as finding out who the composers were. This led me to pursue composition as my main course of study and fueled my passion for music history.
What do you do when you’re not working at DIME?
Besides teaching at DIME I also teach Elementary Orchestra. I love teaching music and could not imagine myself doing anything else. Outside of teaching and composing, I love spending time with my wife and daughter. Our favorite things to do include going to the library, visiting the zoo, and swimming.
What is your favorite class to teach at DIME?
My favorite class to teach at DIME is also the only class I teach, which is Intro to Music. I think that my favorite part of teaching this class is when one of my students falls in love with a song that they probably would not have otherwise heard or looked for.
What has been your proudest moment as a DIME Instructor?
I am always proud of the progress I see from my students throughout each semester. Though I can’t pinpoint any specific moment, I am always so proud to watch my students progress through their degree program. I love that I run into my past students all the time and can hear about the successes they are experiencing!
Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
There are too many to name, but the musicians that I come back to constantly are Thelonious Monk, Igor Stravinsky, and Radiohead (as anyone who has taken my class knows).
What are you listening to right now? Do you have any recommendations we should check out?
Currently I’m listening to Beirut’s “Gallipoli”, Hozier’s album Wasteland, Baby!, Johann Johannsson’s album Orphee, Gary Clark Jr.’s new album, Danger Mouse and Karen O’s new album, Brad Mehldau’s album After Bach, and Rostam’s album Half-Light.
