When my daughter, Naima, was born, touring no longer made sense. I needed stability. So, I took a job running a music program across three campuses in the central coast of California. Just near BIg Sur nad Hearst Castle, teaching 200+ students from TK to 12th grade. Rich kids, broke kids, kids who had never touched an instrument.

I wrote curriculum, composed original scores, and put on performances where students—some who had never read music—played their first live show in under a year. Three went on to study music professionally.

What started as a job became something bigger. Music builds confidence. It builds community. It changes trajectories. It did for them. It did for me.