Guitar with Bennett D.

I'm a professional guitarist and pianist who has recently graduated from New York University's Jazz Performance program. I am also a student in Manhattan School of Music's master's jazz program. My mom started me on piano before I can remember - I was one or two years old. I quickly developed an affinity for music, and by the age of five I was performing Mozart and Beethoven. I went on to participate in countless classical musical festivals, camps, and competitions when I was in middle and high schools, and I continue to play and study classical piano to this day. When I was 14, however, I picked up my mom's acoustic guitar and became immersed in rock and pop music. Soon afterwards, I started listening to jazz music, and this new obsession became my career. In 2016, I was accepted to NYU's jazz program, and during my time in New York I played with many of the top names of the New York jazz scene, including Lenny White and Ralph Lalama. I've also been a guitarist with Hank Lane Music for four years and I've performed at the Plaza Hotel, the Rainbow Room, the Pierre, and the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach. I listen to and study many different kinds of music. Although I consider myself to be primarily a classical and jazz guitarist and pianist, I've performed with rock and funk bands, singer-songwriters, metal groups, and klezmer musicians. I also play bass, trumpet, drums, and pipe organ. I believe that technique is key to playing any instrument or style of music at a high level, but I also believe that playing music is the quickest way to learning it. My students are always learning and playing new music, and I hope you'll become one too!