About Me

My dad, who's from Kansas, was in band as a child and was recruited to play in the band at Bishop College (now Paul Quinn College) in Dallas, Texas. It is here where he met my mother, a Dallas native and where my story begins. Our family was musical and shared musical experiences each Sunday by singing in church together. Since our congregation sung acappella, everyone was involved with the singing and that experience helped shape my understanding of melody and harmony, which greatly influences my writing. 

I began playing trombone at the age of 11 playing in concert band, jazz band, marching band, symphony orchestra, and performing solos by the time I graduated high school. These varied musical experiences gave me exposure to different styles of music and I call upon these experiences frequently when I write. 

At home, my dad had an eclectic music collection and it allowed me to listen to a wide array of music from an early age. I would rummage through his CD collection (yes, CD's!) and would listen to artists like Herbie Hancock, Van Halen, Eric Clapton, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. On my own I'd listen to Hip Hop, R & B and Gospel music. At school I would be exposed to rock, tejano, mariachi, and many other styles of music. These experiences help to give me a wide palette of sound when I create my compositions. 

I began writing in late high school with the encouragement of one of my band directors who told me about Finale Notepad. I then began writing arrangements of my favorite songs from the radio at the time and would play them with my friends after school. When I became a band director, I began writing chorales for my groups and then started writing larger scale performance works. My first piece was published in 2015, and it brings me great joy to share my music with the world.