Earn musical mastery from an expert musician with over 20 years experience and 150+ million streams on Spotify

Learn more about Josh

• 1) When did you first develop a passion for music and your favorite instrument?

  One of my earliest memories of being deeply moved by music was hearing a church choir around Christmastime when I was about five years old. I remember the sound hitting me so intensely that it gave me chills. Even at that age, I could tell there was something powerful about music.
  
  A couple of years later, when I was seven, I started having a recurring daydream: I was sitting around a campfire playing guitar for the people I loved most, and everyone was completely drawn in. That image stayed with me and made me want to start playing. I began guitar at eight years old, and it quickly became much more than a hobby. It became a place of escape, a way to process emotion, and something I could lose myself in for hours.

• 2) Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  There always seems to be an artist or album I can binge for a while, but it changes constantly. Right now I’ve been especially into Dijon, Andrew Renfroe, and older Disney scores. Not necessarily the songs themselves, but the orchestral writing underneath the animation — those little moments where the music perfectly matches movement and emotion. I love that kind of musical storytelling.

• 3) Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  The kinds of things I most love teaching are deep musical understanding, especially theory and ear training. Some of the most advanced work I offer includes high-level ear training, like learning to identify chords, progressions, and melodies just by listening, as well as solo guitar, where students learn to combine multiple musical parts at once on a single instrument.
  
  Those subjects are challenging, but they are also incredibly rewarding because they help students become truly independent musicians.

• 4) What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  That is a difficult question, because it really depends on what “mastery” means to you. For example, when it comes to reading music, guitar is one of the most complicated instruments because the same pitch can often be played in several different places on the neck.
  
  If I had to name one instrument that seems especially demanding overall, I’d probably say trumpet. It requires a high level of precision and maintenance just to play well consistently. But honestly, any instrument can become incredibly complex depending on the goals of the player.

• 5) What are your keys to success?

  For me, success comes down to habit-building and steady progress. Small amounts of consistent effort are far more powerful than occasional bursts of intensity. Even a few focused minutes each day can create real momentum over time.
  
  I also think it’s important to trust the process. Learning is rarely linear. There have been many times when I felt stuck on a technique for weeks, only to suddenly break through and improve all at once. Progress often happens quietly before it becomes visible.

• 6) Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  Julian Lage, Dave King, and Tom Petty. What draws me to each of them is a kind of reverence for music without unnecessary pretense. Their work feels human, direct, and deeply alive.
  
  Music is meant to be felt, and it is ultimately for people. These three artists seem to embody that spirit in different ways, and I imagine they would make for a great conversation.

• 7) Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  One story that has stayed with me happened while I was on tour with a country band opening for Social Distortion. Mike Ness, the band’s frontman, was producing us at the time and would often stop by soundcheck to offer advice.
  
  One day he wanted to show me a groove on guitar, so he asked to borrow mine. Then he asked what the chords were, which surprised me. When I told him, he asked me how to play them. Then he asked where to put the capo. At first, I thought he had to be joking. Here was someone who had written songs that deeply affected millions of people, and yet he wasn’t relying on the kind of technical knowledge many musicians assume is essential.
  
  That moment really stayed with me. It reminded me that being a great musician is not just about theory, vocabulary, or technical mastery. It’s about connecting with people in a real way. Knowledge matters, but human connection matters more.

• 8) What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I have spent most of my life learning not just music, but how to teach it well. To me, teaching is a beautiful puzzle. There is nothing quite like finding the explanation or approach that suddenly makes something click for a student. That “aha” moment is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.
  
  I want students to experience the same sense of wonder, freedom, and connection that I feel when I pick up a guitar. My teaching is thoughtful and intentional, not random. It is shaped by years of experience, experimentation, and refinement. I work hard to give students the tools I wish I had always had myself, including custom learning resources, a personalized Soundslice library, and a centralized dashboard where they can access lesson notes, assignments, and materials.
  
  I genuinely love teaching, and I am always trying to become better at it. Helping students grow - both musically and personally - is one of the most meaningful parts of my life.