Skip d.

Skip first picked up a couple sticks on the playground in preschool and pretended that they were a violin and bow, but it would still be several years until he would truly pursue music. At age nine, he recorded a song and entered it in the 1994 Reflections Contest. To his surprise, he was one of twenty statewide winners in the North Carolina contest. He would continue to write songs and entertain his classmates throughout his childhood. Inspired by various rap and R&B musical guests featured on the Nickelodeon show All That, Skip performed in the seventh grade talent show, and began writing his own rap lyrics the following year. As he entered high school, he took his music even further, as he began guitar lessons, learning to love and appreciate music in all forms and iterations. Skip continued his practice and even earned the Music Merit Badge in Boy Scouts. With the help of his music theory teacher in high school, Skip gained an even deeper respect for music and learned concepts which prepared him for college. Under the recommendation of his high school teacher, Skip pursued and received a Bachelor's of Music Education at North Carolina Central University.

Utilizing a DIY ethic, he has performed over 100 concerts in 18 different states. Skip performs his unique blend of alternative rap and progressive rock under the name Skippy Skip, and has released two solo albums. Along the way, he has shared the stage with some incredible people, had his songs played on the radio, been interviewed for various podcasts, and impressed several record label A&Rs.

While Skip's long-term goal is to gain national and international notoriety and success with his music, he remains focused on and dedicated to helping his students learn and succeed. He began teaching over 15 years ago, and currently teaches guitar and piano lessons to students of all ages. He is focused on helping his students gain confidence, and several of his students and their parents have gone on to tell him how much he helped them to believe in themselves.

In addition to guitar and piano, Skip now plays harmonica, concertina, recorder, and percussion. To Skip, music is more than just a hobby, it is truly a passion and a way of life. He sees it as his way of giving back to society, and he's grateful for the opportunity to continue doing so.