My Story

I grew up in a community where music was not a priority in the schools or at home. My first experience was in fifth grade, playing baritone horn in the basement of my elementary school—literally next to the furnace. Lessons consisted of a handful of trombone and baritone students taught by the middle school band director, who later switched me to sousaphone. He cared deeply, but with limited resources and a heavy workload across multiple schools, there wasn’t much he could do.

High school offered little improvement. The music was no more challenging than in middle school, and each year we repeated the same pieces. Marching band was the focus. I vividly remember one day when a note appeared in the part that neither students nor director recognized. He had to look up the fingering—he was a drummer by training. Instruments were in poor repair, with no budget for maintenance. I often pieced them together myself, once using doubled valve springs just to make a horn playable. There were no private lessons, no solo and ensemble contests, and no instruments to take home for practice.

At home, the musical environment wasn’t much stronger. My mother had taken piano lessons for years but could only play one piece, always on an out-of-tune upright piano. My father had such a poor ear that he was asked not to sing in church because it distracted the congregation. My parents divorced when I was five, so support for pursuing music was limited.

I graduated high school early, in three and a half years, then worked sixty plus hours a week for eighteen months to save money for college. Financial aid considered the combined income of four parents, leaving me to cover nearly all expenses on my own. I decided to pursue music education because of the inspiration of my middle school director and summer marching band instructors.

With my savings, I purchased my first tuba—a brand new, shiny, silver, three-valve, 3/4 Conn BBb—unaware that four-valve models even existed! from the local music store. I auditioned at a local college with only a Bb scale and some marching band music in my repertoire. Not surprisingly, the response was: “Sorry, kid. Get a different horn, take some lessons, and try again.”

Undeterred, I sought out lessons with a wonderful man and teacher, Charlie Schuchat, a Jacobs student and Elgin symphony tubist. Driving over an hour to his home, I finally heard what a professional sounded like and realized how much I didn’t know. H introduced me to Song & Wind. After a few lessons, I auditioned for VanderCook College of Music, where I was accepted—and where my life changed.

At VanderCook, I studied with Roger Rocco, who immersed me in Arnold Jacobs’ teaching. I worked multiple part-time jobs, practiced relentlessly and sat in on as many of Rocco’s classes and lessons as I could. I sat outside his door to hear him work with brass players from all over the world seeking help with Dystonia and other problems.  I not only took his methoids of teaching brass course, I also attended his graduate lvele methoids courses in teh summers and foloowed him to other universities when he went to teach masterclasses.  He called me “the sponge.” By my third year, he encouraged me to study directly with Jacobs and later with Gene Pokorny. Upon graduation, I was recognized as the strongest tuba player to come through VanderCook and received recommendations for graduate school.

I was accepted at Indiana University to study with Harvey Phillips, but before I could begin, he retired due to health issues. With other programs closed or full, I turned to teaching and repair work in Chicago. Soon I realized I wanted to play professionally and dedicated myself to taking and giving lessons, auditions, and freelancing while also working at The Brass Bow, one of the premier brass repair shops in the country. Chicago at that time was a mecca for brass players, and I often found myself reinforcing or explaining Jacobs’ teaching to students who came through the shop wanting to talk about theor lessons, deepening my own understanding in the process.

Over the years, I performed with orchestras, bands, brass bands, brass choirs, and chamber groups, while also balancing a growing career outside of music. Eventually, I transitioned into real estate, where I spent 18 years coaching and leading teams of hundreds. To my surprise, the principles of success in sales mirrored those of successful brass playing—discipline, focus, and overcoming fear. I drew constantly from Jacobs’ and Rocco’s teachings while guiding others to achieve their goals.

In 2015, after two car accidents left me with significant back problems, I stopped playing entirely for seven years. But in 2022, I picked up the horns again—and the sound was instantly still there. Since then, I’ve reignited my passion for music: assisting Roger Rocco with his masterclasses and website, starting CHI Brass, and now launching Song & Wind Coaching to help brass players of all levels.

My journey has not been without obstacles: very late start on real lessons, never having a period of time dedicated solely to practicing, no 4 valve instrument until sophomore year of college, poor ear, asthma, TMJ, major dental issues, injuries, performance anxiety, and more. But by applying Jacobs’ and Rocco’s principles, adapting them through my own experience, and drawing on over 12,000 hours of coaching people one on one, I’ve consistently found ways around these barriers. I’ve seen these same methods transform students with focal dystonia, embouchure problems, and performance blocks.

Combining this expeince with knowledge of instrument design, customizations and repair plus extensive knowlegde of mouthpieces and what can help with playing issues I’ve successfully worked with adult beginners or instrument changers, high schoolers preparing for auditions, college students working on recitals and auditions, people suffeing from pysical or mental ailments and professionals actively auditioning. Their successes are as meaningful to me as my own.

Do I hold a doctorate, master’s, or performance degree? No. But I have studied directly with Arnold Jacobs, Roger Rocco, Gene Pokorny, and Floyd Cooley. I earned my Bachelor’s in Music Education from VanderCook, and more importantly, I’ve lived and applied these teachings for decades—both in music and beyond. many high level players contact me for advice on equipment and Jacobs' and Rocco's philosophies of teaching. 

One of my students once described my approach as “graduate-level coaching.” I think that sums it up well.

“Brass coaching rooted in the timeless teachings of Arnold Jacobs, Roger Rocco, and a lifetime of experience.”