Joel Holmes was born in Arizona on December 6, 1982.
The family moved
to Virginia where at school during Black History
Month, Joel heard the
musical sound that would change his life, “I first
heard ragtime at
music class. It was like a window [+]Joel Holmes was born in Arizona on December 6, 1982.
The family moved
to Virginia where at school during Black History
Month, Joel heard the
musical sound that would change his life, “I first
heard ragtime at
music class. It was like a window opening.” With a
growing passion,
Joel soaked up a steady influence of jazz greats
like Oscar Peterson
and Art Tatum. At the age of 10, Joel would sit at
the family piano
and play along with these great musicians, naturally
following their
lead.
His mother Theresa first noticed her son's musical
talent. Encouraged
by his initiative his father Dennis, a trumpet
player for the Old Guard
Fife and Drum Corp in Fort Myers, started off his
son’s music education
by teaching him all he knew about basic piano. He
learnt enough to
play in the local church band and a teenage go-go
band.
With his family finally settling down in the city of
Baltimore, MD Joel
formed his first band, in the last year of middle
school, aptly named
J-Groove. His talent was impressive enough for his
mother to suggest
he pursue an education in music. Enrolling in the
Baltimore School for
the Arts was a natural step where Joel’s admission
was based purely on
talent.
After high school, Joel won a full scholarship to
the acclaimed Peabody
Conservatory of Music, John Hopkins University where
he became an
understudy of Gary Thomas, the institute’s Director
of Jazz. He gained
popularity with his fellow students as they played
impressive
performances at various festivals and venues in both
the classical and
jazz genres.
Joel has studied with Bobby McFerrin, Roy Hargrove
and a slew of other
respected musicians. He has also taught music and
theory at the Rock
Junior Academy, the Baltimore School for the Arts as
well as given
individual private lessons in jazz and classical
music.
A recent Bachelor of Arts graduate in Jazz
Performance, Joel’s
accolades include a gold medal in the Act-so
Competition of the NAACP,
a silver medal in the Local and National Levels and
an honorable
mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition.
Now at 22, Joel composes his own style of music
blending an array of
traditional and contemporary jazz, gosp
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