When I Found Music, Everything Changed

From chorus to jazz combo and everywhere in between

I love music. That’s the understatement of all understatements, but it’s true. Without it, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. Playing music gives me purpose and brings me joy. And teaching it, well that’s just the icing on the cake.

Let’s go back to where my musical journey began: elementary school. My interest in the subject can be traced back to one of two things. It was either the piano lessons I had when I was a boy that first exposed me to the wonder of making music, or it was elementary school chorus. I don’t remember which came first, but the point is, my passion for singing and music in general was sparked at a very early age.

I remember singing “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” in elementary school chorus, and I also remember that there were two versions we’d listen to. Now, some might call me racist for saying this, but bear with me here. There was a white version, and there was a black version. The white version was dry, stale, and had no flavor. The black version was soulful, captivating, and moving. The “you’ll feel better” sung by the African American woman on the record would get me every time; I couldn’t help but feel the power and vigor in her voice. I guess that was my first real exposure to the gospel sound, a sound with which I would be fascinated for the rest of my life.

In middle school, I spent most of my time writing songs and using what little knowledge of the guitar I had to accompany myself. I had had a few guitar lessons by then, but aside from that, I’d taught myself most of what I knew, which is probably why the chord progressions to the songs I wrote sucked so bad. Even still, I’m quite proud of what I churned out in those middle school years. I like to think I was a bit like a young Bob Dylan with the way I told my stories. I had to make up for my lack of logical chord progressions with something, so oftentimes my lyrics did most of the heavy lifting.

The one thing I remember vividly about middle school was how horny I was. I wrote song after song about my various love interests, and because I was so horny, there was no shortage of material. That’s one thing I’ve learned in my career as a musician and writer: Love is the best muse. If you’ve got enough passion in you to have a romantic interest in another individual, then you’ve got endless ammo for your creative pursuits. Channel your love (or any emotion, for that matter) into your art, and watch as a masterpiece unfolds before your very eyes.

Fast forward to high school, and I’d been out of the music scene for quite a bit. Drinking and smoking to fill the void, I was in a rut and didn’t feel fulfilled with my studies. About halfway through my sophomore year, however, I got out of the automotive program (which I hated) and switched my elective to chorus.

Now this is where it gets interesting. Chorus opened up doors for me that I didn’t even realize were there. I began fine tuning my vocal cords on top of learning piano, which I’d put on the back burner up till that point, and with all the talented and like-minded people surrounding me, I was in heaven. It seemed like every day I was learning something new and adding it to my bag of musical tricks. High school chorus was everything to me, and I mean that wholeheartedly.

Every year I was in chorus, I got better as a musician. My singing got better and better (I even got some solos), and my piano chops were improving. However, I wanted to learn how to play jazz, and with the resources I had, I was grasping at straws in that department. Most of the people I knew were either classically trained, or they played pop tunes by Bruno Mars and the like. I, on the other hand, wanted to learn just what made a piece of music sound like “jazz.” Up until then, no one had been able to explain it to me properly, and I was coming to a crossroads: Do I keep pursuing my guitar studies (which I’d continued on and off throughout high school) and keep learning shapes and scales that I can transpose up the neck of the guitar all while not really knowing what I’m doing theoretically, or do I focus in on my piano studies and learn just what makes a chord sound “jazzy”?

I chose the latter, and I’m forever grateful for it. Fast forward to now, and I’m a successful semi-professional musician with knowledge to spare. After choosing to focus on piano, I spent years studying with a teacher named Craig Ames, whom I’ll always remember fondly, and then I took some jazz combo classes with Stephen Scott, a local legend who will put even the most esteemed of pianists to shame. I even studied at UNF for almost a full semester, but I ran into some roadblocks there and never got to finish my degree. No matter, as I’ve garnered all the knowledge I need to be what I would consider an adept musician by now, even without finishing school. The next step, I guess, would be passing on that knowledge to the younger generation so that they can grow and blossom into full fledged professionals (or semi-professionals) themselves, if they so choose.

If anyone reading this is interested in learning how to make music, be it any genre, please feel free to reach out to me personally here and I will try and steer you in the right direction. I am accepting students, but even if you don’t want to commit to lessons, I will do my best to help you out, especially if you have a roadblock you’ve been struggling with that you can’t seem to get past. I’ve found that’s when guidance is most needed.

An example of a roadblock for guitar would be learning barre chords, and an example for piano would be learning left hand shapes to comp with as you solo in your right hand. That hand coordination can be a bitch sometimes.

Again, reach out to me via the above link and I will do my best to help with whatever you’re struggling with. If it’s got music theory involved, I’m the guy for the job!