Tampa Bay Music Academy is thrilled to welcome Marie Sorenson to our guitar faculty! Marie has experience in teaching lessons, playing freelance guitar gigs in the area, teaching theory and music technology, and composing. We know she’ll be an excellent addition to our team.
Marie is working toward a Master of Arts degree in Digital Journalism and Design from the University of Florida St. Petersburg. She is an adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College where she teaches and develops curriculum for music and music technology courses.
Marie began playing the piano at the age of 5 and the guitar at age 16. She currently studies with Alex Skolnick of Testament. She plays in the acoustic duo Hope and Glory in the Tampa Bay area and is currently rehearsing with Barracuda, a Heart Tribute Band out of Tampa.
In order to help our students and their families get to know Marie, we asked her a few questions about her musical goals and experiences:
TBMA: What is your favorite musical memory?
Marie: My favorite musical memory was working with Sunnie Paxson while she was in Orlando. I had a hand in helping her record her music and learned a great deal about her jazz style musical writing and composition process. It truly was a beautiful period in my life working with her for a couple of years.
TBMA: What is your favorite musical work that you have personally performed?
Marie: I have a few favorites I have performed over the years, some of which I wrote and some, others have written. They are favorites because they are accomplishments of learning at the same time as playing them. One of them is a song that I recorded called “In Your Eyes” which was one of the first songs I wrote when I was 17. I still play it today. Others include Nancy Wilson’s acoustic beginning to “Crazy on You”, and Alex Skolnick Trio’s “Bollywood Jam”.
TBMA: What is your favorite teaching moment?
Marie: Watching the “light bulb” go on in a student’s mind. It’s priceless!
TBMA: How did you know you wanted to teach?
Marie: I have always had a knack for explaining things in a way that most can understand. I also have extreme patience and faith in students who want to learn.
TBMA: What brought you to TBMA?
Marie: The fantastic organization TBMA has and the chance to work alongside some talented musicians in the area.
Marie’s experience with both jazz and acoustic will be an excellent addition to TBMA’s faculty. We are so excited to partner with her in providing excellence in music lessons in the Tampa Bay area.
Welcome to the team, Marie!