I felt the world stop as I was held at gunpoint by a 10-year-old boy. 

Everything went silent; the particles in the air became crystal clear. 

I became acutely aware of everything around me: the fence beside me, the concrete beneath my feet, my saxophone on my shoulder. 

Time stopped. Everything came into focus like never before.

My father, born in Greece in 1930, came from a Spanish-Jewish heritage and was a true Renaissance man—a surgeon with a profound appreciation for culture, music, and the arts. My mother, born in 1941 in rural Ohio as the second oldest of nine children, was a dedicated nurse with a deeply nurturing spirit and love for music. While grounded in conventional medicine, both were open-minded and curious about the mysteries of healing and the interconnectedness of life. Their journey led them to embrace the Bahá’í Faith, and I was raised with a spiritual foundation that fostered a deep love for humanity and a belief in the infinite potential of the human mind and spirit, along with a profound awareness that music could elevate our consciousness, transcend boundaries, and guide us into realms of deeper understanding and transformation.

When I was just a boy in Milledgeville, Georgia, about 5 years old I remember my brother and I standing in the driveway listening to our parents arguing. My father’s voice overpowering my mother who was sitting and crying, devastated. As a young boy, all I wanted was to escape, so I went to what I called my Bamboo Hideaway and I would lay down on the cool ground, gaze through the tall bamboo leaves into the sky beyond. Listening to the sounds of the wind and the birds singing, and feeling nature embrace me, all my stress and pain would melt away—experiencing stillness & connection with everything around me. 

I found throughout my childhood music became another way to experience the same stillness and connection that I felt in my bamboo hideaway. Music was one of the treasures of my family. I’ve never known a time without music. Instruments from across the globe were always around, I grew up playing music at the nursing home where my mom worked, and was lucky to be raised as a musician in a place where the transformative power of music was valued and performed. I knew music would be with me forever.

But I also became fascinated with understanding music and its impact on people.  

But my journey became crystal clear when…

I was getting off the F train in New York coming from Manhattan, going to my loft in the Brooklyn Navy Yard after a great Jam session, with only my saxophone and flute in hand. The area was a little rough around the edges, but the loft I was living in made it completely worth it. As I was walking back, a little boy I had never met before, no more than 10 years old, stopped me and asked if I had any money on me.

I replied “Sorry little brother, I don’t have any” and I truly didn’t.

I continued walking and heard footsteps behind me. Suddenly, he was 10 feet in front of me, a gun in his hand, looking at me.

I stop in my tracks. I was faced with my mortality. 

I remember looking into his eyes, but it was beyond that it was into him and his soul. And For what felt like forever there was a stillness, the same stillness I remembered feeling in that bamboo hideaway. 

And at that moment there was this silent connection between him and I before I said “Hey little brother”. He lowered his arm, gun still in hand. and ran off. I stood there for a moment, took a few breaths as time came back into sync, and continued my route home.

In music for healing and transformation, there’s an intangible energy that integrates and expands your mind and being, and I’ve always felt very fortunate that I knew this energy my whole life.

And here’s what I do know: music is medicine. It transformed my life in so many ways, and I know it can do the same for others.

I dedicated my life to understanding this, not only from a spiritual sense but also the science of how music affects our brains, bodies, heart, and life. 

I’ve had the privilege of studying and gaining a PhD in Music and Behavioral Neuroscience. I’ve spoken across the globe, lectured and published with universities like Oxford & University of London, and been showcased in ABC, NBC, CBS and several media outlets. 

But more than that I’ve gotten to work with incredible people using the power of transformative music-meditation and behavioral neuroscience to overcome stress, enhance wellbeing, and unlock their full potential.

If there’s one thing to take away from my story it’s this. 

There’s always another way. Living a life of connection, joy and love is possible. 

And Music can help you get there.