| Description: | I had my entrance into the world of music at age 5, when I began piano lessons in my hometown Juneau, Alaska. Once a week, after kindergarten, I delved into the basics of music rhythm, reading and performing. Although, I didn’t stick with piano, I did study violin from the ages of 9 to 11. Percussion /Drum set became an interest in 9th grade. My sister Jen and best friend Jaime Leon had already been studying percussion for a year when I hopped on board. It was their excitement for the art that lured me in.
Since then, 1981, I’ve studied percussion at different schools around the country. Cornish Institute of the Arts/ Seattle, WA, the University of Alaska/ Juneau and Anchorage, Percussion Institute of Technology/ Hollywood, CA, and Colorado State University/ Fort Collins.
Although I have primarily been a professional drummer, I continue to expand my musical horizons. Along with percussion I studied composition and music theory at Colorado State. I received honors in music theory for a semester for an analysis of a Webern tone-row composition. Further, I attended the Recording Workshop/ Chillicothe, OH to study sound engineering. I am, foremost self taught but, wanted to emphasize the formal education aspect of my studies. I find that without formal training my skills, as a composer/drummer/pianist/engineer would have plateaued earlier- education provides a resource from which to draw inspiration. |