Why Music?
Welcome to my website! I've on an exciting journey to develop my understanding about music from the perspectives of performance, audio engineering, pedagogy, and developmental psychology. I am passionate about sharing the incredible benefits music has on human beings, as well as, how we can learn and apply these benefits to shape us into more wholesome people. I've had the pleasure to help learners of all ages develop their musicianship and understand why music is the most important and stimulating art form everyone should know about.
We as a species are naturally attracted by music in a multitude of ways. Every known culture, including isolated ones, that have existed shows evidence of music making. There are cultures that do not separate the activities of music and dance. In fact, there is evidence that music predates written language and possibly even spoken language. The first and most important point to understand is that music and the various ancient subsystems in our brain and nervous systems are perfectly wired to enjoy and participate in the creation of music. To this day, I am inspired by the anthropology of music. We've developed a social ideal that musicians are born talented and others are not. If you follow history, you'll realize that music is more primal than not.
What are the benefits of music? It is most famously said that listening to preferred music produces a "feel good" hormone and neurotransmitter called dopamine. This is an important aspect of our biology that regulates our entire nervous system, executive functioning, and motivational salience. This is one of the thousands of scientifically supported instances where music directly benefits our biological systems.
Feel free to send me a message or connect on my social media so we can continue the conversation of how people's lives can be improved through music! I'm also an active bassist and audio engineer so let me know if you'd like to collaborate on a project or need support on any of your own music projects!
Student testimonials:
"Hunter's classes have supported my desire of learning music in many different capacities. Not only do they have a variety of instruments to practice with, Hunter’s knowledge and passion is evident within everything. Under his guidance, I learned how to play guitar as a complete beginner. The amount of teamwork and support that is present when taking on any song or instrument makes the experience super fun and nurturing! I have made many friends, constantly feel inspired and supported by my bandmates, and always had the freedom to put my own little touch in each and everything we set out to do. Thank you so much for being an amazing teacher, Hunter!" - Kayla
“It has been a huge pleasure working with you in your music classes. The rate at which our group is progressing is like no other; I’m constantly amazed with the work our band members have put into their craft, old and new. In a short 6 months, I have seen this small of mighty group of people come together and bond over the music we share and I’ve experienced the love and community that has been created amongst all of us.
Like most people, Friday has always been the day I look most forward to in my week...but that has changed since I committed to attending music class with you. I look forward to every single Wednesday night - after each practice, I am completely invigorated with a spirit that I have missed for a long time in my life. While I am a classically trained pianist, and previously trained for about 10 years...musical exploration has been sorely lacking in my daily routine until earlier this year. I find that each band night is completely invaluable and it’s taught me great lessons in collaboration, discussion, and opening oneself to new ideas and experimentation.
This new music-related endeavor has also brought such powerful energy into my art-making process as an artist. I find that my reflection time in between waiting for paint to dry, and delving into some research, is largely composed of me noodling around on my ukulele...trying new chord progressions out, practicing some of my own favorites - the list goes on. It has become a valuable outlet in my practice, and it’s also given me a lot of confidence about playing in front of other people...these days, I let it fly and just simply enjoy the therapeutic nature of singing and playing with others.
My hope is to continue attending your class for as long as I am able to. I cannot thank you enough for your support, encouragement, and your openness to sharing your life’s passion with all of us.” - Sarah
