Education

M.Mus, Master of Music, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK, 2000-2002

​

• Courses I undertook during my Master’s degree were: performance studies, aural awareness, musical analysis, Private instrumental tuition, and a thesis of my choice.

​

• I studied improvisation in both modern and traditional jazz guitar.

  • I explored the art of improvisation, practical and theoretical, for my chosen thesis. I initially studied jazz improvisation to improve my own improvisations; however, this triggered many questions regarding how one learns to improvise. Therefore, my thesis examined whether improvisation can be taught, or whether it is an art that can only be learnt through experience via a master apprentice model. My main focus was on jazz improvisation, but also incorporated other genres that value improvisation, for example a North Indian Raga, that share the same issues regarding the implications that students face when learning how to create spontaneous composition. 

 

B.A.(Hons), Single Honors in Music, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK, 1997-2000

​

• Degree courses included: Performance studies, written musicianship (courses in harmony, composition, orchestration, and improvisation), critical studies I II and III (a historically based course), ensemble and practical musicianship (comprising courses in aural awareness, music technology and participation in departmental ensembles), music arts and ideas, Kodaly, jazz studies, audio engineering, ethnomusicology, music in education, commercial music, musical analysis, classical guitar ensemble, and electric guitar ensemble. 

​

• I studied and performed both classical and electric guitar (jazz) during my Bachelor of Arts.

  • ‘Jazz Guitarist: John Scofield’ was the topic of my thesis. I examined Scofield’s unique style of playing, and how it developed throughout his career. To achieve this, I transcribed eight of Scofield’s compositions from various recordings that spanned across his career for analysis. The thesis also included background information in the form of a biography, his guitar equipment, and a short chapter explaining the method that I used to transcribe Scofield’s compositions.  

 

Teaching Experience

• Home Music Studio, guitar instructor, 2003 – present

• Niagara Creative Arts Centre, guitar instructor, 2011 – 2021

• Niagara Christian Collegiate, guitar instructor, 2015-2019

• John Lummen School of Music, guitar instructor, 2005 – 2011

• J&B Pro Music, guitar instructor, 2005 – 2012

• King’s School Rochester, UK, guitar instructor, 2002 – 2003

• Aylesford Secondary School, UK, guitar instructor, 1999 – 2003      

 

Music for Television

I compose original music, recorded in my home studio, to be used on TV shows. Here are some TV shows that have used my music to date. What I have listed is only when a new show uses my music and not when a show repeatedly uses my music year after year.

​

2023:

• Making it Home with Kortney & Dave, HGTV

• Project Bakeover, Food Network

• Auto Esporte, Globoplay

​

2022:

• Hot 20 Countdown, CMT

• Salvage Kings, Apple TV

• Pro Football Talk, Sky Sports

• Tom Petty: Mysterious Ending, Apple TV 

• Squidbillies, Adult Swim

• Being, Channel 5

• Impractical Jokers Repackaged, TruTV

• Forged In Fire, History Channel

• Rock Solid Builds, HGTV Canada

• CNN an all stars tribute, CNN

​

2021:

• Your Morning, CTV

• Anderson Cooper 360, CNN

• Scott's Vacation House Rules, Prime

• All-Round Champion, TVO Kids

• Central Ave, Fox

 

2020:

• E Talk, CTV

• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Comedy Channel

• La Voz, Antena 3

• The Social, CTV

• Top Elf, Nickelodeon

• Gemusetto Machu Picchu, Adult Swim

• The Jellies!, Adult Swim

• Killer Unknown, Prime Video

• NFL Fox Sunday, Fox

 

2019:

• Late Night with Stephen Colbert, CBS

• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix

• Falsa Identidad, Netflix

• Pickler & Ben, ABC

• The Zoo, Animal Planet

• The Zoo Early Access, Animal Planet

• All Access Mayweather vs Maidana, Showtime

• Teen Mom, MTV

• The Opposition With Jordan Klepper, Comedy Network

• Pro Football Talk, NBC

• It's Suppertime, MTV

• For My Man, TV One

• Michaela, CNN

• E News Live, E Online

• The Untitled Action Bronson Show, Viceland

​

2018:

• The Voice, NBC                                                                                                                                     

• The Detour, TBS                                                                                                                                    

• Of All Places, CBC                                                                                                                                

• NFL, Fox        

• Race Day, Fox          

• NASCAR, Fox                                                                                                                             

• This is Life with Lisa Ling, CNN                                                                                                           

• This Morning, CTV           

• The Marilyn Denis Show, CTV                                                                                                                    

• ICC Cricket 360, IMG                                                                                                                           

• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, TBS                                                                                                   

• Football Town: Barrow Alaska, NFL

• BBQ Crawl , Travel Channel           

• Say Yes Wedding SOS, TLC                                                                                       

 

2017:

• Sacred Steel Bikes, Discovery Channel                                                                                                 

• Counting Cars, History Channel                                                                                                           

• Life Or Debt, Spike TV                                                                                                                        

• Inner Space, Space TV                                                                                                                            

 

2016:

• Sports Detective, The Smithsonian Channel                                                                                       

• Vice Essentials                                                                                                                                       

• Premiere League Football, Sky Sports                                                                                                  

• Project Guatemala, OLN                                                                                                                       

• American Restoration, History Channel                                                                                                

 

2015:

• WWE Countdown, WWE                                                                                                                    

• Culture Shock with Corey Graves, WWE                                                                                            

• Pawn Stars, History Channel                                                                                                                 

• Recipe Rehab, CBS                                                                                                                                 

• Lone Star Lady, A&E                                                                                                                             

• Impractical Jokers, TruTV                                                                                                                            

• Sky Sports Cycling, Sky Sports                                                                                                            

• Dish Nation, Fox                                                                                                                                   

• All Access Boxing, Showtime                                   

 

2014:

• Fool’s Gold, Discovery Channel                      

• 2014 E! Countdown to the Grammys                             

• Heirs to the Dare, Discovery Channel                   

• My Big Redneck Family, CMT                                                     

• Even More Denmark, Web Video                   

• Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, TLC                                        

• Game of Arms, AMC                                 

• Ultimate Fighting Championship, Spike TV                 

• UFC Ultimate Insider, FSN, MSG+, Root Sport                

• E News Daily                                    

• Tricked Out Trains, Travel Channel                              

• Extreme Parking, Travel Channel                  

 

2013:

• Newly Weds – the first year, Bravo                 

• Last Call with Carsen Daly, NBC                 

 

2012:

• Pranked, MTV                              

• Sex, News, and Rock n’ Roll, MTV                  

• When Vacations Attack, Travel Channel                 

• Bad Dog, Animal Planet/Discovery Channel.                 

 

2011:

• Armchair Directors, Rogers TV                                                                                                           

 

Album/Cd

As well as recording music specifically for TV I also have recorded five albums of original music:

• ‘Through The Other Side’ Rock instrumental album.                                                                        

• ‘Migrating Souls’ is an album of original music in the avant-garde genre                                          

• ‘First Waltz’ is an album of solo classical guitar music.                                      

• ‘Solar Dance’ is a solo finger-style album.                                                              

• ‘Spiral’ is a collection of original instrumental music that fuses rock/jazz/pop/blues with the         

        guitar at the forefront.   

​

Composer for Down The Rabbit Hole Theatre Company

Down The Rabbit Hole Theatre Company, based in Ridgeway, is a wonderful experience for children and teenagers with a passion for acting, singing, and dancing. Since 2018 I have had the pleasure of composing some of the music for their shows as well as performing with the house band.

​

        November 2018

• 'The Purrfect Plot' I composed eight original songs.    

 

        May 2019                                              

• 'Born to Rock' I composed one original song and performed with the house band.      

​​

       November 2019                               

• The Page Turner' I composed eight original songs.          

​​

       May 2022                      

• 'Wild West' I wrote the music for the show, eleven original songs in total, and performed with the house band.

​​

       November 2023                           

• 'A Christmas Carol' I composed six original songs and performed with the house band.

    

Performance

• Dr. Andrea McCrady performed my composition ‘Carillon Bell Tower’ at the Peace Tower Carillon Summer – Live Recital, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, 2014

• Wedding Guitarist, solo finger-style/classical guitar, I perform at wedding ceremonies at wineries located in the Niagara on the Lake region, 2014 - present

 

Professional Skills

• Advanced guitar knowledge and technique (scales, arpeggios, chords, jazz chord voicing’s, rhythm playing, slide guitar, sight-reading etc)

• Specialized areas: Being able to compose music for solo finger-style guitar and classical guitar. To compose music for other instruments. To compose for an solo instruments as well as ensembles. To compose music in a variety of genres. To improvise to a high standard in many styles.

• Over twenty five years of teaching experience.

• Recording techniques

• In depth knowledge and understanding of music theory and history.

​

Additional Information

I was fortunate to be taught by some talented guitar teachers whilst studying at university. I studied both classical guitar and electric guitar at University.

 

Classical guitar

I studied the classical guitar under Jeff Alexander (MA in lute studies) and had frequent master classes from one of Britain’s leading classical guitarists John Mills.

​

Electric guitar

James Dean was my mentor for the electric jazz-fusion guitar, and with whom I studied with throughout my BA and Masters. James was my accompanist for public performances and for my Master’s performance exam. I also had electric guitar master classes from jazz guitarist Gary Potter, and from session guitarists David Goodes and Malcolm MacFarlane.

​

​

​