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Pellissippi State was where I received the foundation of my studies. You know, when I
moved on from Pellissippi, it was mostly about studying music business. But what my studies
here allowed me to do was, it allowed me to expand my horizons musically. It allowed to
to be available to accomplish more than just playing by ear and singing.
Oh I came out of the womb playing and singing *haha* I did.
I came home from my Kindergarten graduation
playing Pomp and Circumstances with both hands and having my brother work the pedals because
my legs weren't long enough to reach them. So I just took to this old player piano in
the basement, and it just seduced me and I immediately understood what to do with it,
and my parents had me in lessons immediately, *haha*.
My father was a schoolteacher and he always had a personal fondness for Pellissippi State
and the education he knew that I could get there. So I always had that trust in that
regard. I was guided well. And finally upon coming here was so blessed to receive a really
great music education. I had started studying with a professor here at Pellissippi State
actually before college. In high school she was my piano teacher. Her name was Anna Miller
who immediately started teaching me music theory in junior high school. She knew how
to somehow get through to a very unconventional student like me. You know, my ear has always
been so good that every time I had a piano teacher I would just ask them to play what
I was supposed to learn that week and I could go reproduce it. I was pulling the wool over
everybody's eyes for years. It was the excellence of Anna Miller's teaching skills that were
able to kind of get through to me. She started giving me atonal music so that my ear couldn't
necessarily find that tonal anchor. Knew how to communicate with me. She was able to see
the unique things that I needed as a student and was able to sort of instill that education.
Whereas, I think I really sort of fooled a lot of teachers before her. *haha*
Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around. Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir, not while
I'm around.
Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays, I'll send 'em howling,
I don't care, I got ways.
No one's gonna hurt you, No one's gonna dare.
Others can desert you, Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there.
Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while, But in time...
Nothing can harm you Not while I'm around...
Pellissippi State gave me the skills to be able to arrange
and to compose. Now I can say that I've arranged music for a Broadway musical now. Because
I had the ability to understand what was instinctive and connect the dots to the academic portion
of it. That is something that I was able to receive with ease here with the staff here
and was able to take and apply to places I never even thought I would go. I was well
equipped to end up in places I would never have thought I've been like on Broadway.