How long have you been playing music?

Since age 7 – I was literally dragged to piano lessons as a child screaming, “I hate this… piano is for girls!” But it turns out that I was destined to be a musician.

How did you continue from there?

My initial fear and dislike of the piano changed when I got to middle school. My brother gave me a guitar, and I fell in love music. My training in gospel music and piano lessons gave me the “ear” to play along with the radio on guitar and bass. Though I still took piano lessons, I would compose rock songs on guitar in my free time. In high school I realized that I could “make up” music for the piano. I began playing improvisations, jazz, and pop music on the keyboard. At the same time, I was learning other instruments in the Baker High School Band (clarinet, saxophone, French horn, percussion). I went to college as a music major at the University of South Alabama and then moved on to Florida State University. For my Master’s degree I studied piano pedagogy and decided that teaching would be a wonderful way to spend my life. Although I majored in piano, I continued studying woodwinds, guitar and voice at the University of South Alabama and at Florida State University. Playing in ensembles is great for any musician, it helps develop listening, rhythm, intonation, and cooperation skills.

How were you trained to play church music?

There are two main sources that gave me the knowledge and support to play gospel/church music. The first was my time at Gospel Singers of America, a singing school in Pass Christian, Mississippi that has been providing summer music camps for students of all ages since 1957. At this school, I went to theory classes, learned solfege, practiced sight singing and ear training, and took piano and guitar lessons. The most outstanding teacher I had there was Ellen Marsh, who showed me numerous licks, tricks, and accompaniment styles to use in gospel music.

The second source was my piano teacher at home Alicia Luttrel. We worked on some classical music, but also learned how to analyze and play hymns for the church. I was not always a good student, but she was persistent and supported my growth. Of course the most effective way to learn church music is to play in the church! When you are put under pressure, you have to fall or rise to the occasion. Playing music in the church is essential, and it is a blessing and a joy to use your talent to glorify the Lord.

What do you do in your free time?

It is hard to say what my “free time” is because I spend much of my time in preparation for performances or teaching classes. I try get in some piano practice every day, but that does not always happen. Sometimes I will just improvise music at the piano, sight-read, or play the saxophone along with a recording. My wife (Amy) and I like to go to theater shows, to the beach, to the LoDa Art Walk and other Mobile attractions. We are also glad to have most of our family members living in Mobile and are able to spend time with them. Our son, Dylan, was born in October 2009, so we love watching the new things he discovers every day. We also have a beautiful daughter, Zoey, who was born in January 2011. My wife and I love to sing, dance and bang on drums with our little ones at home. God has blessed us with a wonderful family!

What is your favorite music for listening?

Well, first of all- live music is usually my favorite. We have many great concerts here in Mobile at the University of South Alabama, Mobile Opera, Mobile Symphony, and other locations. In my car or at home, I would probably say that swing music is one of my favorites (Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and others). I often listen to a variety of Christian artists and almost any other style of music. Recently I began using Sirius satellite radio and usually choose these stations: Alt Nation, Bluegrass, On Broadway, Pearl Jam, and Enlighten. I enjoy many composers of classical music such as: Prokofiev, Haydn, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Barber, Dello Joio, Bolcom, and Gottschalk.