A:  I chose to attend LAMA because I wanted to further both my musical knowledge and playing ability. After a few years of community college, I decided that music school was the route I ultimately wanted to take. LAMA was the obvious choice of schools for me because I was already familiar with the school and bass department staff through my Grandpa.

A: The best part about studying music in LA is the opportunities that are around. I don’t mean solely in terms of gigs and players to meet, but also in terms of the different music scenes around town. In LA you have chances to go out to a club and check out your favorite players doing their thing. You can literally be at a place like the Piano Bar and people like Stevie Wonder or Prince randomly show up and play a set!

A: The entirety of the LAMA bass staff are amazing, it’s very hard to pick one as a favorite. Every one of them has so much to offer, whether it is technique with Jerry Watts, jazz with Steve Billman, rock with Tom Witt, blues with Doug Ross, or private lessons with David Levray. Each of them have their own way of teaching the curriculum, but there is a interconnectedness  that helps to bring it all together in a way that is simple to understand and execute.

A:  I started playing because I’ve grown up in a very musical family and environment. Some of my earliest childhood memories are being in the studio with my dad and all of the Toto guys while they were recording their album Tambu. From then on I always had an interest in music, however I didn’t start playing bass until many years later when my friends and I all decided we wanted to start a band. The only problem with that was that none of us played anything, so I decided I’d pick up the bass because it seemed like the natural choice to me.

A:  After LAMA I plan to continue playing live and in the studio as much as I can. Playing live has always been something I’ve loved to do, whether it is with my band Maudlin Strangers or just as a sideman for solo acts. Thus far I’ve had some amazing opportunities such as playing with Edgar Winter and Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees. I can only hope that after finishing LAMA things will continue to move forward!