I recently did an interview about Good Times Guitar with Parent Click dot com. Read it HERE on their site or read on…
Share ONE FUN FACT about you? I own and operate Good Times Guitar. We make learning music fun for our students!
What is one of your indulgence or vices? Lattes
What is the last book you read or one of your favorites? Lust for Life (about Van Gogh)
Favorite local restaurant? Little Alex’s
Favorite coffee spot? French Press
Favorite soundtrack? Good Will Hunting
Favorite Song? With or Without You by U2
Favorite movie? Star Wars
Favorite TV show? 24 or Arrested Development
Your perfect day? Warm beach day with family followed by a BBQ and some good music.
Favorite retreat or escape? The beach or the desert.
Tell us about a product or item that you cannot live without? I really like guitar pedals.
PERSONAL PROFILE
What is your current profession? I teach third grade until 3:00 and then I teach guitar until 5:30ish. I also have my own recording studio and get regular part time work with that. www.goodtimesrecording.com
What inspires you to go to work, school or volunteer each day? I love making a difference in people’s lives…especially children. It’s amazing what a positive attitude can do. If you catch kids doing something right, tell them! They love to hear it and then they’ll want to keep doing it.
Education – where did you go to college? BA at Westmont, Teaching credential and Master’s degree at APU
Volunteer Involvement – where do you volunteer (currently or recently)? I’m a soccer coach for a girls U10 All-Star team and a worship leader at SB Community Church.
Where did you grow up? San Jose, CA
How many siblings do you have? One amazing sister – Roxanne
Childhood Ambition – what did you dream of being when you grew up? Pro soccer or tennis player or a famous musician.
What is your favorite sport or exercise routine? Soccer, tennis or elliptical machine at the Y.
Where was your first job? Soccer Referee – age 10. I reffed the little tiny guys!
What phrase or motto do you live by? Love your neighbor as yourself.
How do you measure success? With a ruler. Just kidding. I think success is all about improving at whatever rate you are capable of. We’ve had some guitar students with incredible natural ability and they have accomplished an amazing amount in a very short time. We’ve also had students with less natural ability, but they stuck with it, worked hard and are now lifelong musicians that know how to proficiently play! I get equal satisfaction from both scenarios.
What was your proudest moment? Every time my kids hug me and say I’m the best daddy ever. That’s hard to beat.
What would others be surprised to learn about you? I had a rare eye disease called kerataconus which lead to a cornea transplant. My friends tease me because I might be part female now. (not sure if my cornea donor was a female but I suppose there’s a 50/50 chance!)
Who or what is your inspiration? I’ve always found a lot of inspiration from the band U2. Those guys are highly convicted about a lot of important issues and don’t compromise when it comes to getting the word out on those things. Also, they work hard to reach as broad an audience as they possibly can. They easily could have gone for the obvious fans but they’ve continued to push the limits. I admire the way they use their fame to truly help those with extreme needs. Plus, I really think Edge’s guitar playing sounds super cool.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment (s)?
1. A song I recorded at my studio made it to a movie starring Steve Zahn called Calvin Marshall.
2. My second guitar student ever is now out of high school and pursuing music full time.
3. My wife and kids love me enough to hug me every day.
What has been your biggest challenge (in life or as a parent)? I was in a great band with some amazing friends but our drummer sadly died of brain cancer. That was a tough one. I really miss his friendship and playing music with him.
What is your wildest dream (something you hope to do one day)? I want to work with the other teachers at Good Times Guitar to teach thousands of people to love to play music.
PARENTS & STEP-PARENTS
How many children do you have? Ages? Abby is almost 10. Aaron is 6. They are the coolest!
If you could teach your kids one thing and have it impact them, what would it be? Don’t compromise on your convictions.
What is something you would like to share? Popcorn.
BUSINESS OWNERS
What motivated you to start your business? I never really intended to start a guitar lesson company, but people started asking me if I taught lessons and I quickly learned that I loved it. I also realized that it was right up my alley since I loved to play music and was already a credentialed teacher. I kept taking on more students until I was eventually full. I had to put people on a waiting list! I didn’t like turning people down, so I started looking to find someone to help me. Eventually I found Dan Bos. He’s an amazing teacher and musician…and an even better person. A couple years later, I cut back my teaching days from 5 to 3 so that I could coach my daughter’s soccer team. That’s when I knew I needed a third teacher so we brought on Matt Knoles. Matt is one of my favorite musicians and best friends. He’s also a credentialed 4th grade teacher and is awesome at teaching guitar. We’ve even added a drum teacher…Dave Granada! He’s one of the world’s nicest guys and an amazingly talented drummer.
What is the hardest part about owning your own business? Scheduling all the lessons. We’re often coordinating the schedules for 50+ families!
What is the best advice you could give someone on starting their own business? Do something you love.
What is something you would like to share? Cleaning the dishes.
TEACHERS
Why did you go into education? I love helping kids.
What is it that motivates you most each day working with students? I love how honest kids are. I love seeing them learn, grow and get excited about what they’re learning. Kids love to laugh and have fun and that’s what I’m always try to bring out when I teach. I use a lot of games and humor when I teach. Hence, the name…Good Times Guitar! Music is fun for me. At Good Times Guitar, we try to keep it that way for our students.
What message is important to you to pass on to your students? Buy a guitar stand. You’re likely to pick up your guitar and start practicing more frequently if it is out of the case.
What is something you would like to share? Thanks for listening!
