This is my story…
It started when I taught myself to play guitar at 14.
My amazing mother then enrolled me at Bulverde Academy of Music in San Antonio, Texas where I went into private lessons with 7 original songs. Right away my teachers embraced me with singing, guitar, recording, songwriting, and music theory. I graduated high school and planned to head to the Musician’s Institute to do their Independent Artist Program.
Except, I didn’t go. (gasp!)
Long story long, it was not in my financial cards, but the stars aligned when I met a local producer who would become my mentor for the next 10 years. He took me under his wing, and I would traverse San Antonio to his studio to shadow him while he was working with local professional singer-songwriters.
One year of eating tacos and talking about the music business with a 40 something-year-old man into the early morning (mom was certainly concerned), I realized that I was learning so much about making a a record without any life experience to draw from to write one of my own.
While having a dip in the ocean in South Padre Island at the tip of Texas, I had an epiphany that I should move to California. 6 weeks and a sublease ad on craigslist later, I was packing up my Volkswagen Beetle to head to Long Beach, California.
17 year old me sitting
at the console,
while Mack charts out my very first song.
One year into my California life,
I auditioned for The Voice alone in a city that I had never been to and no, I didn’t make it! I swept hair at a salon, almost got evicted because of a roommate, and was the victim of a hit and run that totaled my poor little beetle.
But I was determined to keep going, so I got a performance permit to cut my teeth singing originals and covers on the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade.
During this time,
I was able to create and launch a successful Kickstarter campaign that enabled me to make that record I so desperately wanted to make with, Mack Damon.
California— my 5 song ep summarizing the maturity I asked for.
Track number 4 off of the record, White Roses, would later be licensed to the credits in an independent film,
Blood Money, starring Jack Cusack. White Roses was a song that I wrote in my very first weeks of moving to California.
My teachers at the academy would tell me that songwriters get checks in the mail for songs they wrote once, and I didn’t believe them until this sync deal happened. Granted, it was only a $600 check of royalties that accumulated over 2 years, but it still was an experience that surpassed what I ever expected myself to do!
After 3 years of performing and doing small tours, I wanted to make a record off of pure instinct without a producer this time. Heal was born.
A notable experience from Heal was the opportunity to film my first official music video for the single “Walk Straight”. The director and I premiered it at the art theatre in Long Beach.
How I started teaching…
It began with trading sweeping hair off of floors in a salon for cleaning piano keys at a local teaching studio. I was their new receptionist. During that time, I was so grateful to be anywhere near music instead of hair. It was in this new environment that I discovered a strong desire to teach.
In comes Mia!
I nervously asked my boss if I could give it a try and maybe start with children. Surprisingly, considering I had no experience teaching music, he said yes. 5-year-old Mia was my very first student. Her family was very affirmative of how great I was with her even though I hate to admit that I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. After a short amount of time together, Mia was singing, playing, and writing her own songs. She still plays!
