Hello, I’m Shawn.
I’m just your average inventor/musician/game developer/studio owner/educator/gameshow finalist!
Let me explain…
Musician
I began performing professionally as a musician in the 1990s, at the young age of 10 years old, with two Trad-Jazz bands: The Fog City Stompers and the La Salle Street Jazz Band. Around that same time, I also began playing in local Bay Area hard rock bands with my older brother and a couple of our friends. This led me down a path of musical study that eventually brought me to New York City by the early 2000s, where I received my degree in Jazz Performance, Summa Cum Laude, from William Paterson University. I lived in NYC for the next decade, touring with various artists and performing in the city’s rich Jazz and experimental music scenes.
I was fortunate enough to catch the end of an era in NYC, and was able to perform at many iconic music venues like CBGB’s, The Knitting Factory and The Stone before their shuttering. I also performed regularly in NYC jazz clubs like Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Smalls, Smoke, Fat Cat, the 55 Bar and more. While in NYC, I released my debut solo album Lionsong (FSNT 509) and co-led the band Walking Distance, who’s sophomore album FREEBIRD feat. Jason Moran (SSC 1512) made the New York Times 2018 Best Jazz Releases.
After more than a decade in NYC, I moved to Los Angeles to thaw out from too many east coast winters. Since moving west, I've been fortunate to record with Stevie Wonder, Lizzo and even co-wrote music for Natalie Portman's TV show Lady in the Lake (Apple TV+).
Patented Inventor
In 2014, while on tour with Jazz at Lincoln Center, inspiration struck and I formulated the theory of a scientific connection between sound and visible light, aka color. This began years of research and programming, for which I have been awarded a US Patent for. The aim is to bridge the gap between the hearing and non-hearing experience.
Game Developer
In 2019, after noticing many students struggling to have fun while learning in their initial musical studies over the years, I began developing what would eventually become DrumStudent®—a rhythm game that teaches users to read music and play rhythmic patterns, all with their mobile phone. This drastically improved the early experience of my students, and after thousands of users I can safely say it has had a wider impact than I ever could as an individual teacher.
Game Show Contestant
Being that LA is a multifaceted creative epicenter, I have found myself involved in parts of the industry I never imagined being connected to. I have been in several national commercials as a drummer, and in 2024 I was approached to be a contestant in the Fox gameshow The 1% Club hosted by Patton Oswalt. a show where contestants' intelligence is tested. No spoilers, but it's worth a watch (episode 9).
Educator
As I stated in the episode of The 1% Club, paying forward the gifts and opportunities I’ve experienced in my life is paramount to me. I have taught individually and in group settings for over 25 years. In 2024, I was brought in as a musical consultant at Skyrocket Education to help facilitate meaningful, social and emotional learning experiences for teenagers at a crucial time in their lives. Through music, we can all learn together about life, its challenges and its beauty. It has been a profoundly rewarding experience, causing me to reconnect with a deeper sense of purpose in life.
As Stevie Wonder says, “Use Me” — which I've never felt more than now.
