I'll admit it. I grew up playing with Legos, Hot Wheels, and Mario Brothers, and whenever an ill-fated Barbie doll crossed my path, I'd give her a makeover until she looked like G.I. Jane.
When I got too old to play with toys - ok, sometimes I still can't resist playing with Legos - I picked up the guitar and turned it into my lifelong passion. I still, however, have a soft spot for Mario Brothers, and swoon at the sight of old school video games.
No performance represents a greater convergence of my love for Mario Brothers and classical guitar than the one shown in the video below.
So, ladies and gentlemen, indulge in the ultimate form of video game and guitar nerd bombing by watching a brilliant performance of the Super Mario World "Castle Theme Song" by Sam and Steve.
So, I think I just found my second favorite place on the world EVER (the first being New York): Miami, Fla. Yep, I've been here for one day only, and I'm already in love.
I'm in town attending Hispanicize 2012, the creative launchpad for all things related to Hispanic PR, marketing and Social media, and I'm lucky enough to be on the organizing committee with the masterminds behind the event, Manny and Angela Sustaita-Ruiz.
View from my hotel room in downtown Miami
The event is expected to attract over 700 people, including award-winning fashion and celebrity bloggers. Notable Hispanic figures to attend include Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia, and music giant Emilio Estefan, among others.
Follow my tweets to keep up with the action, and visit www.hispanicizeevent.com to learn more about this event.
Click here to see a picture gallery of Hispanice 2011 in Los Angeles, Calif.
I'm a classically trained guitarist, and I was pretty much taught to play with a straight face, no matter how much I was burning inside to show some sign of emotion. God forbid some sort of gesticulation, right?
Well, no. That's just wrong. From now on, I'm going to be human and show it by doing the Smelling the Skunk face.
As the guitarist in the video below says, "the more bend and feel you can get in your notes, the more it smells."
And be sure to gradually build up to the Smelling the Skunk face by starting with an "I'm going to sneeze face." ;)
If you say you're a doctor, it's understood you help find remedies for ailments. If you say you're a chef, that means you cook for a living. If you say you're a public relations practitioner, you get a gigantic question mark.
It's quite ironic that people whose duties include devising public awareness campaigns (PR people, myself included), have not yet found a way to clearly explain what on earth it is that they/we do.
According to the Public Relations Society of America, PR is defined as the "strategic communication process of engagement that manages the function of researching, communicating and collaboration between organizations and publics to build mutually beneficial relationships and achieve mutual understanding and realize goals."
The sad reality is, people don't roll with PRSA's definition. They pretty much define PR with the humorous image below (special thanks to Dr. Shen for sending this my way).
To my colleagues, enjoy, laugh, cry, or make a difference in our field by getting the message out there. I know I will.
As a teacher, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your students succeed and conquer the world. The inspiration behind this post is my former guitar student, Josh Vasquez, who makes me incredibly proud and reminds me that there's nothing else I'd rather be doing than spreading the love for music.
Vasquez began taking lessons with me at the tender age of 12 while I was teaching at a music studio in San Diego, Calif. After three months of coming to class, the kid demonstrated amazing ability and could play face-melting solos like nobody's business. I was flabbergasted and knew I had a star in the making right in front of me.
Vasquez and I at the 2012 Winter NAMM show
While under my tutealage, Vasquez learned how to play pop, rock and classical music. He was also exposed to stylistically diverse music, such as Bach, Dream Theater and Joe Bonamassa.
And BAM! That's where it all happened...As soon as Vasquez heard the blues, he immediately became captivated and found his musical calling. He turned increasingly curious and explored a little deeper until he found the highly complex world of jazz. May I remind you he was only 16 at the time?
After four years of teaching Vasquez, I exhausted all my knowledge and taught him every bit of guitar I knew. He became proficient in classical guitar and advanced music theory, but he was ready for a bigger challenge.
The time had come for Vasquez to move on, so I introduced him to San Diego-based jazz guitar teacher, Nick Tocco.
I remained present in Vasquez's life as an unofficial coach, and made every effort to guide him in the right career path. I told him to sign up at a performing arts high school, told him to sign up for Guitar Center's King of the Blues competition, and more recently, told him and his band, Jazz Avenue, to sign up for NAMM’s Third Annual SchoolJam USA Battle of the Teen Bands Competition.
Jazz Avenue and band teacher extraordinaire, Ms. PaigeVasquez made it into the high school and is now getting ready to graduate. He also made it all the way to the finals for Guitar Center's King of the Blues competition, and he and his band won the SchoolJam USA Battle of the Teen Bands competition put together by NAMM.
"ANAHEIM, Calif., Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A crowd of nearly 500 gathered at Downtown Disney District on Saturday, Jan. 21, for NAMM's third annual SchoolJam USA, a national teen battle of the bands that rewards aspiring musicians and their respective school music education programs with more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. The event, produced by National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), took place during the world-famous NAMM Show held at the nearby AnaheimConvention Center.
Competing against seven other finalist bands from across the U.S., San Diego ensemble, Jazz Avenue, took first place for the coveted title of "Best Teen Band in the USA," $5,000 for their school music education program, $1,000 toward the purchase of new band gear, a private music video recording session on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, and a grand-prize trip of a lifetime to perform at the 2012 SchoolJam Germany finals in Frankfurt this March."
I don't take any credit for Vasquez's success. The boy has an innate talent and a feeling for music imbued in every cell of his body that can't be taught my anybody. If anything, I have learned tons from him, and now the roles have reversed in a beautiful way.
So, thank you, Josh, for the tremendous joy you transmit to me and the rest of the world with your astounding talent. Here's to massive triumph and much-deserved success!
You can learn about Jazz Avenue by visiting their website here, or by staying tuned to my website; I'll be sure to keep everyone updated, especially during/after the band's trip to Germany.
Also, watch the video below to check out their private music video recording session on the John Lennon Educational Tour bus, and click here for an all-inclusive article on the band in the San Diego Union Tribune.
Thursday, May 17, 2012 
