Bio

Inspiring the love of music and guitar playing in students is my goal in the same way that my varied music teachers and mentors have ignited my lifelong passion for music. 

Having been raised both in the U.S. and Bavaria, Germany, I feel blessed to have studied various guitar styles with many different superb guitar teachers (David Newsam, Geoff Goodman) from childhood to college level and beyond. 

At the collegiate level, I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts for Guitar Performance and Film Score Studies. I also hold a Bachelor of Arts and a Jazz Studies Emphasis degree from the University of Iowa, where I studied jazz guitar with Steve Grismore and jazz composition with Professor John Rapson. 

I consider myself quite lucky to live and perform in Iowa City. This diverse local and vibrant live music scene has given me a deeper understanding of American Blues and Folk music.

I seek to continually expand my knowledge of music through new avenues like, most recently, studying the Russian seven-string guitar with Oleg Timofeyev. I am a strong believer in lifelong learning and the power and gift of music and am excited to share this wealth of knowledge with my students!

I also greatly enjoy gardening with my wife, Hannah, going on walks with my family, and seeking to pass on a love of nature to my children, Cora and Emmitt. I jump at every opportunity to teach them German and an appreciation of many genres of music.