"In my classes I emphasize the fact that music is a language. And when you learn a language, before being able to speak it properly, you first have to be able to hear it. That means you have to listen. Listening is a form of love. Through listening I learn my students' differences. This enables me to better interact with them and successfully establish good teacher-student relationships. I devote myself to ensuring my students receive the best possible training and, above all, to making them believe that their best is better than what they think it is."
"What I find exciting about teaching is the challenge of having people in class with different individual cultures, personalities, backgrounds, needs, and aspirations speak the same language in an ensemble. I stress to my students the importance of developing an awareness of their relationship with the rest of the band. I also help them develop strong rhythmic articulation and interpretation, depending on the style of music they are playing. That's what I find they need most. At any level, they should be able to groove just by playing a few notes in the right way and putting them in the right place. That's the concept of 'playing in the pocket.' My goal is to broaden their knowledge of diverse styles and to enhance their listening skills so that they can adapt their playing and react accordingly to any kind of musical situation."
"My objective has always been to bring into the classroom my experience as a member of stylistically diverse musical groups such as the Gypsy Kings, New York Voices, Slide Hampton's Brazilian Quintet, and others. I incorporate music I've performed on tour, which can have an uncommonly challenging degree of difficulty. And, of course, students always enjoy hearing road stories."
"Berklee remains one of the world leaders in music education by providing state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and offering students the opportunity to study with some of the top performers in the world. Students from all over have the opportunity to create and learn in a very stimulating musical environment, where they can exchange experiences, form a network of people sharing the same interests, and develop lasting friendships."
