My love affair with music started at the age of 6, where I received instrumental lessons for classical guitar as well as music theory lessons from a qualified music teacher.  At age 10, I also began classical piano.  This amazing teacher helped me to really understand how important music was in my life.  She continued to teach me and became a big part of my life until I started studying at the University of Siegen (1984-1987).  At Uni Siegen the fields I studied were music education and English.  But after passing the entrance exam at the Arnhem Jazz Conservatory, I moved to the Netherlands to study jazz guitar from 1987 to 1990.