I grew up in Berea, Ohio and have been playing the guitar since age 14. I have a degree with a major in music from Cleveland State. I have been teaching the guitar on and off for 20 years. At CSU I got the opportunity to study with Cleveland jazz guitarist Bob Fraser. I also took classes in music education and pedagogy. I also have had the opportunity to participate in the Tri-C Jazz Ensemble, the CSU guitar ensemble, and the Cleveland Classical Guitar Orchestra. In 2013 I joined a classic rock cover band called Juice. Juice has played many gigs in the Cleveland area both public and private for the last 8 years. I currently live in Elyria with my wife Jennifer. I really love getting to know my students and trying to help them achieve their goals. To me it's very satisfying when I can see the student is really getting something from the lessons. This can be a young child just learning the fundamentals of music. It can be a person in high school who wants to learn that super cool guitar solo he/she hears on the radio. It can be someone who just wants to sit around and strum chords on their acoustic guitar. Maybe the student is a singer who wants to accompany themselves. For me, it's about talking to the student, finding out their goals, and then (with a targeted approach) giving them the building blocks to be able to achieve those goals.