As an educator, he offers a relaxed and open environment for beginning, intermediate, and advancing musicians to hone their instrumental skills and expand their creative toolboxes. He believes that traditional music is an excellent vessel for understanding an instrument and finding your own voice as a musician. Max plays and teaches a variety of styles including bluegrass, old time, early jazz, country and western, and offers lessons in instrument fundamentals/technique, improvisation, “how to jam”, song/tune writing, and specific style studies. 

A strong proponent of learning aurally – by ear – Max aims to develop a seamless connection between his student’s ear and their instrument. He explains that learning by ear gives us a deeper connection to the music that we’re playing, and allows us to pick up certain nuances that can’t be communicated with notes on a page. “Decoding music that you love is an exciting and empowering process. By picking apart music that has inspired me I can show my students that they’re able to do the same. From here the learning possibilities are limitless”, he eagerly explains. 

Max received a Bachelor’s of Music in Performance with a focus in American Roots Music from Berklee College of Music, where he had the tremendous honor of studying with acoustic luminaries Joe K. Walsh, Bruce Molsky, Tony Trischka, and Dr. David Wallace. He is an active gigging musician in the Boston music scene, and has toured throughout the Northeast playing listening rooms, bar rooms, ball rooms, back rooms, front porches and festival stages. 

In addition to teaching and performing, Max recently wrote and music directed the ‘Homegrown Stringband’ roots trio at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH. The trio performed authentic bluegrass, folk, and old time string band music throughout the 2022 summer season. Max also works as a live sound engineer and performance venue manager at the historic Club Passim in Harvard Square. 

Join Max every Thursday at 7:30pm as he leads the Concord Open Bluegrass Jam.