Mario A

I started my formal education with a teacher by the name of Daniel Witte in middle school. He was excellent at teaching, and I think it's because of the way he taught me to approach music that I was always so enthusiastic about learning. I got many teaching tips from him. After winning many competitions and awards for outstanding performances in middle school I got accepted into the fine arts program at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas. While I was there I won competitions every year, but most importantly I made first chair in the south Texas region for playing drumset, and 3rd chair at the state level. I also got to study with Brett Kuhn, the former director and composer for "the Cavaliers" drum core who has won championships at the national level. After finishing highschool I didn't keep pursuing music in college, but I did keep studying it, and even continued to get lessons with Tony Edwards who teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.

Private education is very important because it gives the person who wants to learn an opportunity to have the undivided attention and critique of somebody with more wisdom and experience. I've taken the opportunities myself to have private education through the likes of Brett Kuhn, Thomas Pridgen, Tony Edwards, and many more teachers with great insight.

I have been performing frequently for about 8 years now. If I wasn't performing with the orchestra or jazz band, I was performing with one of the many many bands I played for. Including the orchestra performances I have about 500 performances with audiences ranging from 10 to a chouple thousand people under my belt so far. Lately the most popular band that I've been performing and recording with is a band called Televangelist.

I have most experience teaching teenagers and people around my age (22), but I do have a little experience teaching children as well, and I'd also like to gain more experience teaching children. Every student I have had so far has given great feedback, and left every lesson feeling like they had accomplished something.