Violin with Josh T.

Short version: I grew up in Florida, where I spent my time water gardening, woodcarving, playing the violin, and slaying giant sea monsters in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve composed film scores, arranged string quartets, and recorded/produced everything from rock bands to madrigalian choirs. I played 1st chair violin in the Tampa Bay Symphony and have a degree in classical violin with a focus in composition from the University of Miami, where I worked on both violin and classical piano before moving to Austin, Texas to continue conquering the planet with cool noises. Longer version: I am a performing, recording, and teaching violinist with a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Violin Performance With An Emphasis On Music Composition and Technology. I am a songwriter, composer, pianist, and singer as well, with a background in: acro yoga, bodywork, a handstand study, and a curiosity in speed learning, body awareness, mental agility, flow, and expression. This allows me to take a more holistic view of playing music. My experience gives me the belief that music can be used as a tool to develop the mind and body through awareness and strategy, not just chance. My understanding of music has affected the way I perceive the world, and the way I move through it. I enjoy sharing that with my students. I teach a lot of skills and instruments. My greatest joys are teaching the violin, and music production. The violin is an instrument that is incredibly simple conceptually and, when played, provides an infinite opportunity for variation. The process of learning involves stripping that infinite variety into a set of simple ideas that are learned, ingrained, and, eventually, the variety is reintroduced and creative ability begins to show itself in a usable form. Using the violin as a fun and rewarding method of self expression, and a tool for sharpening the mind and the body provides a powerful combination that, when approached with regular practice, can provide a depth of benefit far beyond possessing a new skill. Music production is a huge part of music, a bigger part of the future of music. And every great musician is a producer in one sense or another. To me, production is seeing the big picture. To decide what you want the hear, to imagine a sound, an arrangement, a complete track or album, and to bring it into the world complete with all the precision and happy accidents that go along with that process, that is music production. I particularly enjoy teaching electronic music production through Pro Tools, Ableton Live (what I use the most personally), or Fruity Loops. I'm comfortable with most modern software relating to music. And I will guide you through the process of learning effects, recording techniques, sound design, songwriting, composing, arranging, and mixing, to create the music that reflects your imagination.