“To me, being a musician means constantly honing and evolving your craft. There is no finish line in music and therefore always something new to learn every time you pick up your instrument. With teaching, I try to meet the student at their level, assess their goals, and help put them on a path towards achieving those goals. I hope that my students leave lessons feeling inspired to play, practice, and keep expanding their knowledge. When it comes to the guitar I try to stress the importance of understanding the fundamentals that go beyond the instrument so that when they go to apply a musical technique they don’t get stuck in muscle memory.

I studied music at Blackhawk college, jazz studies at the University of Iowa, and attended several music-education events around the country such as: guitar sessions at Berklee College of Music and Django in June in Northampton MA. As a jazz guitarist, I’ve been invited to perform all over the country at festivals such as Redwood Coast in Eureka CA, Denver Vintage Jazz Festival, Bix Beiderbecke memorial jazz festival in Davenport IA, and the Detroit Jazz Festival among several others.

From Davenport Iowa, I’m inspired by all sorts of things from comedy, film, basketball, and of course the music of all genres. I love when the unexpected happens in the creative process and something becomes much more than you anticipated!”