Once a week, a student sits across from their music teacher for a period of anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour seeking guidance on how to play their instrument. In their hands, students hold a type of mystery box with limitless potential; but without instruction, this amazing tool is useless. After their lesson, the student goes home eager to practice, and then somewhere between that moment and when they sit back down with their instrument, it’s lost. The information and the inspiration are a fuzzy…

For the last three years, I have been an on-call substitute for the band Air Supply. Their main guitarist―who has been in the band for the last ten years, has a family, and is still playing 100+ dates per year—needs a break every now and then. That guitarist, Aaron McClain, just happens to be the first music director I ever worked under in Los Angeles.

I can't recall how it all came together, but in 2009, I was in the right place at the right time. SoundLife co-founder, Mike Torres, and I played with the…

It’s a new year. It’s a new day. Anything is possible. Everything is possible.

This is the mindset that most people have on January 1. Students learning to play an instrument should be no different. Batman and Superman likely had New Year’s resolution. Of course I cannot prove this, but why not have some fun? I bet Jimmy Page and Angus Young do too. Why? Because a resolution is a personal commitment to work toward a change you wish to see in yourself or in the world. This change is translated into a goal…

On average, I play around 150 gigs per year. When I was in my 20s, that number would often reach above 200. The only difference now is that I say "no" much more often, and I imagine that will continue as my children grow older. I have performed in tiny clubs, ballrooms, theaters, and arenas, on stages from Los Angeles to Tokyo. I have played for the sheer thrill, and I've played in order to put food on the table and a roof over my head. I have played in cover bands, wedding bands, for singer-songwriters,…

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit” - Aristotle 

Musicians are often referred to as “weekend warriors.” During the days when most are at home watching football and fighting over the popcorn, musicians are racing around their town from performance to performance, squeezing the day, and living for the night. We make our living in churches, cocktail parties, weddings, corporate gatherings, nightclubs, theaters, arenas, and stadiums. Many of the musicians you see headlining on a Saturday night at the…