Piano lessons, songwriting, improv, etc.! All genres and ages. Graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill teaching in-person in Raleigh, NC and online

Find out more about Hunter

• 1) When did you first develop a passion for music and your favorite instrument?

  My parents threw me into piano lessons around age 10. Honestly, I didn’t care for it too much, until I started playing my first Mozart pieces, and then I became totally obsessed with music. That eventually led me to learn all sorts of other instruments and styles.

• 2) Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  I switch gears a ton with what I listen to! I go through phases. But my favorite, nearly-inexhaustible playlists are made of bass music, extremely heavy metal, and modern “girly-pop.”

• 3) Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  Provided a student has the time and energy to get there, it would be developing someone’s musical fluency to the point that they can pioneer completely new sounds, patterns, and concepts, and most often sound great doing it.
  
  My understanding of the piano over time went like this, and it seems that most students progress similarly - learn basic concepts, make them fluent, learn more advanced concepts, make them fluent, keep repeating the process. That gets you super far, but eventually, we want to transcend the things we’ve learned and memorized, and be able to create entirely new sounds and stories in the moment. Instead of simply reciting things they’ve learned (which can sound great), those things become tools for them to build entirely new things that I never taught them. The student attains the skill and vocabulary to explore sound without limitations or fear of expectations. It’s like I helped them build a rocket ship made of music theory, patterns, concepts, etc, and they used it to blast off into the unexplored corners of space.
  
  This is so important and special, because it’s the point where an individual’s true, unique musical voice shines through everything else they’ve ever learned.

• 4) What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  I don’t think there’s one correct answer to that! Every instrument has its eases and challenges, everyone has different definitions of mastery, and people are always pushing the limits of what we thought possible on every instrument. Also, people naturally gravitate towards the instruments that most align with how they experience music.
  
  “Mastery” aside, I think guitar and piano are pretty beginner-friendly, while violin and bassoon are much harder to sound decent on. You can sound pleasant on piano within an hour, but usually NOT violin!

• 5) What are your keys to success?

  For myself and my students, it’s maintaining that we always enjoy the process of whatever we’re doing. The less enjoyable the thing is, the less progress you’ll make, and the more likely you’ll be to drop it, period. There are ways to make piano stressful, and there are ways to make piano very fun and rewarding. The fun and rewarding parts are NOT mutually exclusive with very difficult, necessary concepts. In fact, I’ve found that keeping it fun leads to faster progress and better retention.
  
  I think the sign of a great teacher is knowing these things and being able to teach the most complicated, demanding concepts in such a way that the student loves the process and can’t wait to do their “homework”.

• 6) Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  Olivia Rodrigo. She’s so cool and relatable for people. Her music feels masterfully authentic and passionate. She’d be fun to hang out with and learn from.
  
  Au5. This guy is exceptionally interesting and inventive. He creates new musical sounds and techniques almost daily. His energy is somewhere between huge music nerd and alchemical wizard.
  
  Anyone from Meshuggah. Absolute rhythmic geniuses, and they seem super chill. I can’t describe how much their musical style has improved and restructured how I perceive music, all for the better.

• 7) Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  My college piano professor was incredibly loving, supportive, and personally invested in my musical journey. I never once felt like he shot down my ideas, although he always gave helpful, actionable guidance that improved them. He was a super fun and silly guy who never took things too seriously, despite being a respected master in his field. For me, his energy as a teacher is a huge part of what solidified music as a lifelong passion and eventual career path.

• 8) What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I’m extremely flexible and proficient in what I can teach and how. This is a big priority of mine, so that people can jump into music at any age or walk of life and never feel discouraged or pushed away. I know so many people who briefly did piano lessons as a kid, and then quit because the teacher was boring, strict, or not open to teaching the music they actually loved. I think everyone has a learning style and set of goals specific to them that will take them furthest, and I help every student find that without bias or judgment. And of course, they all still learn the necessary fundamentals!
  
  I currently have students learning classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, composition, salsa, electronic production, and all sorts of things in between. All of them say I do a great job in their respective genres, which means a lot to me!