ABOUT TOMMY

Hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tommy is a piano teacher, performer, and bandleader. He enjoys meeting new people and creating personalized lessons for all ages and skill levels. 

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In his younger years, he competed in classical piano competitions and played every week at church. 

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He attended Ball State University to study Jazz Piano Performance, where he made many great memories. One of those was touring through Costa Rica with the top jazz band. Another was getting to play with the famous musicians Wynton Marsalis and Jeff Coffin. 

In college, he also received a national award in the yearly DownBeat Student Magazine for "Outstanding Original Jazz Composition." The composition, "Tank" was originally a final project for a composing class, in which he was glad nobody ever found he started it the night before it was due.

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He performed at the president's house at BSU for all of the special events and played background piano for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. 

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Since then, he’s performed jazz piano in restaurants and venues around Indiana, which is something he still loves to do. Along with his continued church playing, he plays in the funk band Light Steps, comprised of three close friends. 

He’s a passionate and energetic teacher who's striving to share the beauty of music with others.