Troy Story

Hello! I have had a deep connection with music in all its forms from a very young age. Through Middle School, High School, and four years of College, I performed with Concert Bands, Jazz Bands, and Marching Bands as a Trumpet player, where I also began writing my own compositions for solo trumpet. I have performed in the Rose Parade, been on a few television commercials, and had the privilege to march in both the London New Year's Day Parade and the Cabalgata de Reyes. Overlapping with my time as a trumpet-focused musician, I also started learning more about Piano, and completed several original pieces of music intended to be recorded and performed by a rock group - and they have been! With the Troy Story Band, I have played close to a hundred gigs, most notably at Above the Boom for Big Bear Lake's 4th of July fireworks celebration, and at the San Bernardino County Fair, where we got to be on the main stage!

I would describe my piano playing and compositions as being fun, practical, and often times lend themselves to thinking outside of the box. I am the kind of learner who doesn't just take widely accepted conventions as fact; I like to ask "why?", because as an educator, you're inevitably going to be asked that question yourself. So, even if I don't know the answer, I am more than happy to work with a student to find out together. I have been a keyboard instructor at Riverside's "Rockstars of Tomorrow" music school for the last three years. It is there that I truly realized my passion for teaching music and developed my own methods for cultivating student success. I have ample experience playing and composing for Bass Guitar, and to a lesser extent, Electric Guitar. I currently perform with multiple bands across Southern California, including the Blue Henry's, Marty Calderon and the Chulos, and Legendary Hangover. I am able to create music all on my own using tools such as Ableton Live, BandLab, and other associated plugins.

My biggest strength is patience. Music is already an art form entrenched in delayed gratification, so imparting a sense of self-discipline is a core tenet of my teaching philosophy. At the end of the day, I like to regard myself as an expert on a few of music's more widespread and useful aspects (those being Rhythm, Music Theory, and Songwriting), as well as someone who is knowledgeable in a great many other topics (i.e. the dynamics of working in a larger group, tone-crafting, the math and science behind music/sound, and how to market yourself as a performer, to name a few). Think of me like a jack of all trades when it comes to music. If you are looking to discover more about how to play Keyboard, Trumpet, or Compose music, I'm your guy!

I like to make the learning process as fun and easy as possible. I acknowledge that music can be very difficult to understand, especially at the beginning, so I try to take things slow and make sure that my students remember one key idea from their previous lesson before moving on to the next topic. I also value the importance of individual practice, discipline, and dedication to the craft; as a student, you will see significantly greater success if you spend a little time every day applying what you've learned to your instrument or field of study. I can tell the difference between someone who has put in the work, versus someone who hasn't touched their instrument since their last lesson.