Hey All! Thanks for visiting my page.
My musical journey started at young age. My father is a pianist and bassist, as well as his father before him. My Great Grandmother, originally from Germany, taught them all. Family bands full of Great Aunts and Great Uncles is a common thing in our family.
It's hard to say if my exposure to music from a young age inspired my love for it, or if I would have discovered music on my own, but the end result is the same. By age seven I was constantly at the family stereo, headphones on, listening to music. I listened to everything we had (some things even too embarrassing to mention now). By age eleven I had enough of just listening and decided I would like to play, and from there I never looked back. I began taking lessons for bass and piano at Seminole Music in Clearwater with Mr. Art Angers. Later we added guitar and drums in the mix. I practiced every day, and thought about music most every waking moment. By age fifteen I joined my first band, a true high school garage band. By eighteen my musical taste had expanded to Jazz and R&B. I started studying music in college, at the University of South Florida, where I lived in a house with 2 other bandmates. I began studying Upright Jazz Bass with Joe Porter, and expanded my music vocabulary past just playing, and in to jazz concepts, composition, and theory.
Eventually the college band went their separate ways, as college bands often do, but the connections I made in that time continue to this day. It's also around this time I began teaching. I immediately fell in love with the process. It's one I understood well. I knew anyone could play anything, given enough time and focused attention. Of course I understood it, I was once a beginner myself. I love seeing the look on my students faces when they finally get a piece of music they've been struggling with. And through teaching I was able to expand my musical knowledge as well as I discovered best way for something to become second nature is when you must know it intimately enough to teach it (a technique I use to this day on my own students).
In the next few years there were other bands...lots of other bands. I recorded an all original album with my group Deeper Shade of Soul. I began gigging on a regular basis with a swing band Speakeasy, and later with the band Cutty Jones, where I really began to cut my teeth with a true working band. I was teaching 5 days a week, and gigging 3-4 days a week. The pace was hectic, the nights were late, and we were always experimenting and trying new songs. I found I had a real knack for learning songs quickly, on the fly, sometimes while performing it in front of an audience.
After a few years gigging constantly though, I was thoroughly burned out. Too many late nights, and too much of the same type of music ( a lot of rock and alternative top 40) I really loved that band, but it was time to do something different. I just didn't know what yet, so for the time being I threw myself completely in to my teaching. I even began working with the afterschool care and summer camps at Universal Rock School. I volunteered, and even substituted at several local elementary and middle schools as a band teacher. I knew I was able to teach students one on one, but this part of my journey was the first time I was able to teach multiple people at once, and the whole new set of challenges that come with a classroom. Eventually I found my way, and even began organizing student rock bands at my studio, becoming the sort of band director and teacher and mentor all in one. I was still playing out, but it was mostly freelance work here and there.
Around this time I got a call from a country band, led by Gregg White Jr, asking if id like to go to Alaska and play on a cruise ship for 3 months. I was worried about my students, but after figuring out how they would all be taken care of while I was away, I finally accepted the offer. Of all the genres of music I had played up to that point, country was not one of them. I had also never been on a cruise ship, or even to the west coast....and certainly not Alaska. But I did see Alaska, and Canada, California, Mexico, and later when our contract extended from 3 months to 5 months we even saw Costa Rica, Guatemala, , Colombia, and even crossed through the Panama Canal. It was a great learning experience. both personally and musically. Since that first contract I've done tours on cruise ships, and land, with several country bands including Seth Anthony, and the Marie Wise-Hawkins band out of Nashville.
Of course, throughout all this time, I've kept up my teaching. I've taught many instruments through the years, from guitar to piano, bass, ukulele, drums, marimba, and even recorder! I've also taught many age groups. To date my youngest student ever is 3 years old, and my oldest so far, is 79. All students from different backgrounds, and each with their own strengths and talents. I hope you'll start, or even continue, your musical journey with me!
-John
