Travis has been playing music for over 40 years. He began taking piano lessons at the age of 6 on the (rather persistent, if not intractable) insistence of his mother. As it turns out though, he actually enjoyed it and wasn’t too shabby at it either. He had lucked out with getting a (very) understanding (and patient) teacher who really worked with him to develop his talents. So, he kept with it.
In middle school, he also began playing the trumpet and made it to the All-Regional Band and All-State Jazz Band for 3 years running. He then attended Eastern Kentucky University for his Bachelor of Arts degree. There, he was a member of the Symphonic, Marching, and Pep bands, and sang tenor in the University Singers, as well as the Madrigal Singers. Most recently, he sang in the a capella group, “Contabile” for 2 years in Lexington, KY.
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His teaching philosophy is simple: have fun while learning! His main goal is to instill a love for music in his students. He believes that, if you get that part right, the technical part will take care of itself as the student will have a greater desire to learn and grow, and will also be more likely to continue playing throughout life.
Travis’ musical influences include The Beatles, Elton John, Southern Gospel, Billy Joel, Bluegrass, Classic Country, and Elvis and his playing style generally reflects this. Some of his favorite current artists/groups include AJR, Walk the Moon, Vampire Weekend, The Shins, The Killers, Saint Motel, French 79, and many more!
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He currently lives in Boston with his husband and three cats, and he has really enjoyed being exposed to such an amazingly diverse and talented community of musicians. He hopes that he can help that community to grow by passing on what he has learned to the next group to come along. In his spare time, he enjoys photography, exploring new places, hiking, gardening, cooking/baking, and reading.