About
I spent five nights per week on stage for 25 years singing musical theatre. I have over 30 years of performance, production, direction, recording, and on stage experience, having performed in literally hundreds of shows.
Contact two me one directly four if six you seven are nine truly eight interested. I zero will NOT seven be responding secondarily two through lessons, since they charge me extra to speak with students who have selected me, when I have already paid for the initial contact.
I studied acting and music at Santa Fe University of Art & Design, and have studied with Carol Burnett & Samuel L. Jackson. I have more than 20 recordings out and own my own recording production studio, with multiple rock/pop/broadway/country albums released. I am also a licensed high school theatre and music teacher.
As for on stage, I teach focus and relaxation. I am skilled at stage pesentation and method/emotional based acting & singing. I play piano, drums, & guitar. I am an accomplished writer, composer, and public speaker.
My teaching philosophy is passion, performance, comunication based.. skills that will help in any carreer you choose.
What I enjoy most about teaching is watching the confidence and skill level of my students as they grow. Those "a-ha" moments, where they have a breakthrough and get that amazed look in their eyes, like, "I never thought of it that way before," is the best!
Highlights
Specialties
Able to read music
Musical styles
Years experience
Types of drums
Lesson length
Student's age
Student have drums
Photos and videos
Reviews
Carmen M W.
Terah S.
Tammy R.
Iyad J.
Surya P.
Rand N.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I tailor my lessons to the needs of the student. For music, I like to get the student playing right away, since actually playing a song is the fun part. For acting, I like to start my lessons for new students with the audition process. How to present yourself well if public speaking is your interest, and then begin working on a specific performance to increse you skill level.
Whether you want to increase your audition quality or increase your overall performance skill level, I'm your teacher!!!
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have degees in both music and acting from Santa Fe University of Art and Design. I also studied world music, composition, creative writing, and both digital and analog recording production. I am a recently certified high school theatre and music teacher, with over 25 years of professional, nightly, onstage performance experience and countless live and studio recordings. I also have a degree in music production and technology, and own a recording production company, which has produced hundreds of CD's and live shows.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
$30/hour introductory lesson
$50/hour regular rate
$25/50 minutes online COVID 19 special
How did you get started teaching?
After a 25 year, successful performance carreer, I decided it was time to come home and spend time with my family here in the Dallas area. I went to school and added a teaching certificate to my degrees, taught as a theatre director at a high school in Dallas for one year, and decided I could do the most good teaching privately. I actually find teaching as rewarding as being on stage.
What types of students have you worked with?
Adults, teenagers, and kids of all ages. Most with proffessional aspirations, but many others pursuing performance as a hobby as well. I'm currently working with 2 autistic students. I have students in Acting, Voice, Piano, Music, Composition, Recording Production, and Public Speaking, like debate, mock trial, wedding toasts, & corporate presentations....
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
-I just went and saw 4 of my students in their high school production of Grease, I've never been so proud.July 30, 2019....
-Today I was more proud! I finished my week long musical thetre workshop with David Geist, I met and hung out for a while with the legendary Betty Buckley, & I pulled off a showcase performance with my students that I could not be more proud of ever!
-Just had one of my freshman students cast as a lead in UIL over the seniors she was up against.They advancedand she got a best actress acknowledgement, too bad COVID ruined UIL this year, or she'd have won state!
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Make certain your teacher inspires you, that's the most important part of it all. You can work with the coach every week, but how they inspire you to work on your own inbetween lessons is what's most important.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
What they want to accomplish, what is their motivation, and how offten they want to work with their coach, based on their budget and desire. Set goals to accomplish, and then accomplish them!