Music, B.A.

What's your favorite thing about working at Greenville College?

I love the various music-making, teaching and mentoring opportunities that I have with students from nearly every discipline at GC. I work with three choirs on a regular basis, and enjoy learning, teaching and performing in a variety of choral and instrumental musical styles both on and off campus. Our College Choir and Chamber Singers tour each year, both inside the US and overseas. I also teach voice, conducting, choral techniques and worship arts classes. These interactions with students (oftentimes from their freshmen through their senior years) allow me to assist them develop as young men and women of faith during a critical time in their lives. Watching them graduate from GC and go on to graduate schools, careers and oftentimes unique ministries around the world never ceases to amaze me. I regard working at Greenville College as a high calling and a unique privilege.

What attracted you to the Music Department, and how do you use it outside of the classroom?

My music instructors asked me to accompany choirs at both church and school, and at age 13 I became the church organist and adult choir accompanist. I also played sports throughout my high school years, but when I attended college I decided to try music as a major. After experimenting with several areas of study (i.e. organ, voice, piano, composition and accompanying) I eventually discovered that I particularly enjoyed conducting choirs since it allowed me to pursue my diverse musical interests while working with groups of people.
In addition to having served as a musician and worship leader in a local church during most of my lifetime, I enjoy teaching voice, organ and piano lessons to community members of various ages. I have been asked to be a guest conductor, teacher, vocalist and accompanist for music festivals and conferences in the US. I've also been blessed to travel in Europe on a number of music and missions trips.

What's your favorite thing about working at Greenville College?

My favorite aspect of my job here at Greenville College is working with young musicians and witnessing their progress as a result. I am very grateful and thank God for his blessings in this once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to pass on to young music students all that I have learned (and still learn!) in all my years in the music business.

My title is 'Artist in Residence' which allows me to go on tour when necessary and work in the music business outside of the college. This helps to bring validity to the Music Department and to myself as a music professor. This also helps me to bring 'real-life' situations in all aspects of music to the classroom which is very beneficial to the young musician expecting to be prepared after he or she graduates.

What attracted you to the Music Department, and how do you use it outside of the classroom?

I graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor's in music. Over twenty-four years of acting as Musical Director, bass player and leading The Miami Sound Machine for Gloria Estefan has brought me much success and recognition in the music business.
I have won Grammy Awards and Grammy nominations and played and produced multiple Platinum and Gold albums and CDs. One of my most cherished experiences was playing bass on a CD for Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and David Coverdale (Whitesnake) entitled 'Coverdale Page'. I was on tour with Julio Iglesias as his bassist from 2001 through the summer of 2006.
I am still active in music, performing with Gloria Estefan and involved in producing with several bands and television projects.

What's your favorite thing about working at Greenville College?

My favorite aspect of this job is taking a group of individuals and bringing them together to accomplish a goal and create a performance, whether on the field in a marching band show or in a parade or in the stands or on the stage. I help students learn to breathe life into a two dimensional page of lines and dots and recreating what the composers intended with their music. Music is created in the soul then written on lifeless paper. When students can breathe into that lifeless paper giving it its soul back, if you will, then they will experience the connection with that composer. Watching and being a part of a group that learns how to make those connections, expresses themselves through music and takes ownership in that process, that is what makes this an exciting job.

What attracted you to the Music Department, and how do you use it outside of the classroom?

I have enjoyed music for as long as I can remember, from singing to playing recorder and snare drum to ukulele and trumpet. I participated in various groups in junior and senior high school as well as in college. I started a Christian acting and performing group at the Wesley Foundation on campus and directed a college handbell group while in college. I have always enjoyed performing but when I took my first conducting class, well, that was it! I knew what I wanted to do - conduct bands: marching bands, symphonic bands, swing and jazz bands.

I am active as a performer with bands, orchestras and on stage as a singer, dancer, actor, instrumentalist and comedian. I have organized church wind bands and orchestras and write arrangements utilizing whatever instrumentation is available in that church. I perform frequently in churches. I serve as a clinician for marching, concert and jazz bands and have judged those groups as well as solo and ensemble, all state, sight-reading and various other competitions.

What's your favorite thing about working at Greenville College?

There is nothing more satisfying than the "Ah-ha!" moment of teaching. Whether it's the result of a lecture or tutoring or a casual conversation, when a connection and understanding blossoms, it makes my day!

What attracted you to the Music Department, and how do you use it outside of the classroom?

I was raised in a musical family - everybody played some kind of instrument. A performance degree in college seemed to be my "stepping stone" to a playing career in an orchestra. While in college I discovered other aspects of music beyond playing the bass trombone. Music theory interested me more and more as did the application of theory to arranging and composing.

I continue to perform, write and conduct throughout the year. Since 1992 I've traveled to Germany during the summer to co-lead and play in the brass ensemble "eurobrass - music that goes beyond". Also during the summer I direct the Greenville Municipal Band. During the school year, I'm the bass trombonist with the St. Louis Wind Symphony. Occasionally I'm commissioned to compose music for a "Posaunenchor" - a German brass choir.