FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Pricing includes a wide swath of time that is much more than just the time of the engagement itself (travel time, early arrival for set-up, staying late for breaking down gear, and rehearsals to prepare for your engagement). Solo performances notwithstanding, the fee also includes the cost of hiring additional musicians. A vast amount of education, training, certification, and PRACTICE has gone into the final musical product. I like to tell clients that the only difference vocationally between highly skilled, educated, and trained musicians and medical doctors is that music isn't necessarily life and death, military musicians notwithstanding.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
There is no typical approach. I provide every single client a unique experience based on their needs, experience level, and type of event/venue.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music/jazz studies, Armed Forces School of Music "A-school", Navy School of Music "C-school", Navy Instructor Training (certification to teach guitar, jazz improvisation, jazz combo techniques, big band/jazz ensemble rehearsal techniques), Curriculum Development School (certification to write curriculum at the Armed Forces School of Music and Navy School of Music), Master Training Specialist (designation earned upon learning all facets of the Navy Music school house and, more broadly, training techniques in the Navy as a whole), and 21 years in the Navy Bands as a featured instrumentalist.