Location of Birth: Reston, VA

I started taking violin lessons at age 6, and studied with Suzuki teacher Bonnie Hudson for 12 years. As I continued taking private lessons through Middle School and High School I also played in the School Orchestras, and was often selected to be first chair or section leader.  During High School I also played in the Northern Virginia Youth Symphony for two years under conductor Carl J. Bianchi.  After an audition, I got into the JMU Music School to study violin performance.  In the meantime around age 14, I started getting into the guitar and even took a few lessons here and there.  A lot of what I could do so easily on the guitar is undeniably due to my extensive training on the violin and the early development of a highly sensitive musical ear.  I started playing a lot of guitar by the time I got to college, playing in a few bands with friends doing coffee shop gigs, house parties, and open mics.  At the time I was getting heavily into improvisation and writing my own original material.  Over the past several years I have delved into playing music more than ever, gathering inspiration from a vast collection of influences, especially the sounds of the great folk, bluegrass, blues, and rock artists past and present.  In that time I have developed tremendous passion for singing and songwriting and perform regularly at open mics, and other small venues.  Lately I have also taken to playing mandolin and banjo, and I apply these instruments to my current musical projects.

OBJECTIVE:
To pass on and inspire young students to achieve a wealth of knowledge and appreciation for music, and show how it’s applied to playing the violin, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and vocals.  To help students build rapport in performance as solo musicians, as well as in a group context.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Has 23 years of experience on the violin, 15 years on the guitar, 8 years on the mandolin, and 1 year learning the 5 string banjo.  Took Suzuki violin lessons from 1987-1999 with private teacher Bonnie Hudson. Played First Chair Violin in High School Orchestra and also played violin for the Northern Virginia Youth Symphony from 1995-1997. Learned to sight read and developed more acute skills during those years and applied it to the audition required to study for the strings department at James Madison University. Attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts for the Summer of 2000, focusing on jazz theory for guitar. Has completed a degree in Audio Production at the Art Institute of Washington and is currently a local performing artist, playing mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle and vocals in the Rock/Folk band “Norman Rockwell”.  Spent the past 2 years performing original songs as a singer/songwriter at local open mics and small venues such as Jammin Java, the Soundry, the Old Brogue, and Axum’s Level X Lounge.  Has also done some teaching on guitar, banjo, and violin independently.

EDUCATION and TRAINING
2008-2010    Art Institute, Audio Production
1999-2001    James Madison University, School of Music, General Studies
2000    Berklee School of Music, Jazz Theory, Guitar

EMPLOYMENT
2008-2011
Foxes Music Company
Falls Church, VA
Applies knowledge as a stringed instrument specialist by helping customers with instrument repairs, rentals and sales.

2008-2009 Barista, Starbucks Coffee Company
Falls Church, VA
Applies customer service skills and strong work ethic to daily tasks.

2007-2008 Carpenter, E.M. Castle Construction
Kensington, MD
Worked long hours completing high quality projects.

2006-2007 Driver, Twinbrook Floral Design
Fairfax, VA
Delivered flowers in precise and timely manner.

2003-2006 Carpenter, Dening Seven Design
Potomac, MD
Acquired skills in framing, installation, and finish carpentry.