Early days:

Believe it or not, guitar is not my first instrument. I started off on classical piano aged 3 and violin aged 6, passed auditions and exams, played in school orchestras who won competitions and even performed on national TV! However, when I was 10 or 11, all it took was one listen to Linkin Park’s What I’ve Done and watching Green Day music videos on YouTube that got me started on the electric guitar.

I love the guitar because it is one of the most versatile instruments that covers a lot of musical genres that I enjoy. Starting from mainstream Pop/Rock, growing into heavy metal, then going back to old-school Jazz & Blues, I have played or continue to play these styles. I also enjoy listening to (and occasionally dabbling in) Funk & Soul, R&B, and neo-soul.

Full-time music studies:

I came to Leeds in 2015 to study music full-time for six years: two on the Pop Diploma, three on the Jazz degree, and one on the Masters. I fell in love with Jazz after being introduced by my teachers and fellow coursemates to the likes of Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins going all crazy and bebop on a simple 12-bar blues progression, and Miles Davis’ 1959 Kind of Blue album.

Thinking back, it was the wide ranging sounds and sub-genres within jazz (bossa nova, fusion etc) that fascinated me. Up until then I was exploring guitar virtuosos like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, having previously been hooked to mainstream pop/rock which were proving a little too commercial and mundane. Jazz provided a way out of that and, to say the least, I was very interested and curious about this art.

Full-time teaching:

Fast forward to graduation, I simply turned what I loved doing everyday into my working career. I feel very at home and confident in running my private tuition business thanks to prior experience teaching part-time in schools and music centres during my studies which featured different settings, atmospheres and environments. My students have ranged from as young as aged 7 (year 2-3 in primary schools) to aged 70+, from complete beginners who haven’t yet touched a guitar before to advanced players who were accepted onto music degree courses and successfully auditioned into professional session bands in the music industry.

On the playing front, I have led my own groups, hosted jam sessions, been a dep for other projects (an industry term for stepping in and covering for other guitarists, usually at short notice!), hired as a player in pit bands backing musical theatre shows, and provided live music entertainment at functions and corporate events.