How did you get into making music, and how did arts education (or lack thereof) affect you and your music?

I got into making music mostly due to my brother and family. My brother is a very talented singer, piano player, and all around musician. I can remember being very young and sitting at the top of the stairs listening to him play our Yamaha acoustic piano and thinking to myself, “I want to be able to do that.” I also remember being easily effected by music, and knew at a very young age that music projected and portrayed emotion.

I started making and writing music on an old Macintosh computer that had a MIDI sequencer installed. I enjoyed making simple pieces, and knowing that what had been created was unique. At this point I was only 10 years old, thus I had a long way to go, but it was a start.

Arts education has had one of the biggest influences on our development as musicians. All three of us started the elementary school band program in the Wayzata school system (this program is now no longer available at the elementary school level, which is a real shame). Our drummer Matt was, you guessed it, a drummer. Our bass player Bill started on trombone, and I started on baritone (switching to Tuba the next year).

I was involved with this program for eight years, from fifth grade to 12th grade, and can honestly say without this incredible program I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. We were taught the circle of fifths, rhythm exercises, all major and minor scales and arpeggios (two or three octaves), electronic music, music history, music theory, and how to play in an ensemble. These skills are vital to becoming a solid musician, and have helped immensely in my career. I have arts education to thank for the merit scholarship I received to attend the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music.

(Official) (MySpace)

This post is part of our 60-hour blogathon in support of music development and literacy within the Twin Cities. We appreciate you visiting the site – but before you go, we ask that you consider clicking the Donors Choose banner below and giving what you can to help enrich the lives of a number of local children through music and reading. Thank you. – Culture Bully

Also: (Interview with DJ Snuggles, Big Zach & The Histronic)