For the last 6 years I have been teaching Rock Band workshops at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. During the summer, winter and spring school breaks we bring teens together from all over the region and teach them what it means to play in a real rock band. We have between 7-15 students in […]
Teaching
I had a truly remarkable “full-circle” moment last Friday that I’ve been wanting to share with you. You can read some of the backstory here. The short version is that 35 years ago I had a life-changing experience when Dizzy Gillespie and his band descended on my elementary school and played a short show for […]
If you’ve read any of my online bios or the early post on this blog called First, a Little History you already know my Dizzy Gillespie story. If not, read on… When I was growing up we listened to lots of classical music around the house, as my dad was a big fan. The first […]
Last week was perhaps the busiest week of my year. Not only did I have 4 gigs, 3 meetings and one interview, I was also teaching the “Rock Band 101” class at the EMP|SFM in Seattle. I teach 3 sessions of this class each summer, where we bring together 15 teens and teach them how […]
“My job is all about listening, and my aim, really, is to teach the world to listen. That’s my only real aim in life.” – Evelyn Glennie My new Twitter friend Andrew Goodrich from Artists House Music posted an amazing talk today (see below) that I had to share with you. This talk features Scottish […]
I had a funny moment today in a songwriting workshop I teach at the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. I’ve been teaching this workshop to middle- and high-school students for a year now. In about an hour I have to teach groups of 15-30 teenagers about writing lyrics. Now, as a jazz musician I […]
Every Friday on this blog will be “Makin’ it Happen Friday”, where I feature another musician who’s found a way to make a living playing music. I am constantly inspired by others, and hope to pass that inspiration on to you. The first installment features pianist Larry Fuller. Larry lived here in Seattle for a […]
Yesterday was a funny day. It started wonderfully when my business partner Josh showed up for a meeting with homemade granola and fresh fruit. Now that’s a good partner! Josh’s mom runs Wow Catering and every once in a while I get to reap the benefits too. After our meeting I was off to teach […]
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