Mike's pursuit of music began in grade school, the first time he saw a saxophone in person. This interest in music also led him to study its many aspects including flute, clarinet, piano, composition and theory. And for the past decade, he has dedicated himself to performing and teaching professionally throughout the country.

In 2002, Mike graduated from the Conservatory of Purchase College at New York with honors, receiving his BM in Jazz Saxophone. At Purchase, he had the unique opportunity to study with Ralph Lalama, Todd Coolman, John Faddis, and many other of NYC's most respected musicians.

While in "The Big Apple", he savored the times he played with some of the world's finest jazz artists; Roy Hargrove, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Eric Lewis, James Cammack, Willie Jones III, Marcus Strickland, Dwyane Burno and Marcus Printup. Mike has performed, recorded and toured in many settings; jazz, rock, pop, Latin, avant-garde and Christian. And througout his career, and has inspired hundreds of students from 5 years old to 75, by dedicating himself to the art of musical expression.

In 2005 Mike relocated to Los Angeles to continue his busy schedule of performing, recording and teaching. His current projects include The Mike Moccia Trio, The Breakbeat Lounge, West Coast Blues, and Atom Theory. As a freelance artist, he plays corporate and private events, films video shoots for TV and has recorded with TBP Studios and Cleveland Park Records. These groups perform all throughout the LA area and have held multi-month residences at O-Bar Hollywood, Industry Café & Jazz and Maggiano's Little Italy. Formerly the Hollywood Academy of Music woodwind teacher for 4 years, Mike continues to teach in his private studio.

Education:
One of the funnest things for me about teaching is seeing a student understand more than they thought they would. There's something for everybody in music and there's always more to learn. I've seen my young beginner students learn things I didn't think were possible and my older adult students pick up where they left off 50 years ago. Either way, there's nothing better for me than when a student learns what a positive influence music can be!

People find inspiration from any style or time period and that's what I'm here to help everybody discover. But we do have different ways of learning. Some like to play and hear examples, others prefer talking and theorizing. Most appreciate a good sense of humor mixed into the conversation.

Whatever your style of learning, I always build lessons around individual personality and interests. During the first lesson, I'll learn what books and style of music to recommend and we can go from there! Whether you're looking to prepare for an audition, make the transition to pro or revive your interest from when you were younger, I'm excited to help you reach your goals!

© 2011 Mike Moccia

Equipment:
Tenor sax, alto sax, soprano flute, soprano clarinet, Akai EWI, midi keyboard, KC150 amp, Digitech Jamman Looper, Line 6 HD300, Mac Book Pro, Reason, Finale, Cubase

Contact: MocciaMike@Gmail