Most of what I do as an instructor stems from my frustration as a student. I am convinced that the way I was taught to play music on the guitar is NOT the best way to learn it. I have spent a great deal of time developing my own methodology and feel as though I have a much better way to convey information to students so they can learn faster and retain information better. I pride myself in being the instructor who can get you to your musical goals quicker than any other instructor I know. I understand that students want to start playing music as soon as possible so I teach with that goal in mind. Students actually practice LESS but learn MORE under my tutelage. I have gone to great lengths to develop a functional practice regimen that, even though students are required LESS practice, they still get the good, solid fundamentals that they’ll need to achieve their individual goals. I also make sure that students are having fun while they learn. I regularly substitute material in the text books with songs that students WANT to play so that they can retain interest in what they are doing. I take time to explain how and where the concepts we are learning in the texts appear in and apply to the songs they are interested in playing. This has been a key component in the overwhelming success of my teaching practice.

I, myself, continue to be a student of music. I still seek out instruction for myself in order to continue to grow as an artist and instructor. I am then able to continue with my students longer and instruct them on a more advanced level. I have a number of students that have been on my schedule for 5, 6, even 7 years as they are still able to grow under my instruction.

I am enamored with the various styles of music throughout the world and have actively pursued instruction in those forms for my own education and enjoyment. As a result, I am able to introduce students to some genres that they may not have otherwise been aware of and perhaps light a spark of interest in these other genres, an interest that students may not have had previously. French, Spanish, Brazilian, Cuban, Irish, and, of course, American Jazz and blues, all forms that I am very familiar with and am able instruct on.

I am also an active performer. My wife and I are a Gypsy Jazz duo known as Tesoro and have been performing up and down the southeastern United States for the past several years. We have a great following and are becoming more popular each year.