By the time I reached junior college, I was so into music and performing that I had no choice but to major in music. I found a private classical guitar teacher and immersed myself in studying, practicing, and writing music and lyrics.
Even as my singing career began, my guitar continued to absorb me. After two years of studying music at the local junior college, I applied to the Conservatory of Music at Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood, California. I was accepted and given a music scholarship from a man I respect greatly, Frank Sinatra.
The conservatory was a terrifically intense time for me. My guitar teacher, a real taskmaster, drove me hard. I spent most of my time working on the required classical guitar literature and didn't socialize much. My living space was in an old hotel on Franklin Avenue, an area known in the 70's as a strong hold for strung out musicians. I never got involved in that scene though; I just did my own thing and stuck it out until I graduated. Looking back I realize that time was an incredible growth period for me. I studied hard and when I found spare time I performed in restaurants and lounges.
After completing my studies at the Conservatory, I was awarded a fellowship from the Smithsonian Institute at UCLA to study Ethnomusicology. It was a great deal of research and a much better neighborhood. I learned a lot about myself. Foremost, I am a performer. After two years of a masters program, I went off to perform professionally and never looked back at academia. I've enjoyed teaching privately and small classes at ACT in San Francisco, but it's only a part of my musical schedule.