We met when we were young teenagers- despite Andrew being from Washington State, and Deanna being raised in New England. Our common interest of acoustic music and specifically fiddle music led to our paths crossing at a fiddle contest in Washington State...and then crossing many more times over the next 4 years. We got married when barely past our teens and started our family immediately. Our oldest 2 boys were both born within our first 2 years of marriage, and we also moved from Washington to Vermont to Arizona in that time frame. Our early years of marriage were consumed with raising our 4 kids, moving way too many times, and trying to balance our desire to be musicians with the need to provide for a family. Our society is not always supportive of its' members who pursue a life in the arts, so it's a constant balancing act to work at jobs that don't consume too much time, in order to free up creative time and keep musical skills honed. Andrew spent many years developing his teaching and musical abilities, playing in multiple bands while running a construction business. Deanna also taught piano, worked various part time jobs, and helped run the business while raising children and homeschooling them for the younger years. Our 4 kids all started learning to play instruments starting at about age 6. They began with fiddle, but branched out to other stringed instruments and we began to realize that we had a family band on our hands shortly thereafter! In 2012, we left our home in Spokane, WA to move into an RV and do some traveling. Having grown up in a nomad family band, Deanna was the driving force here, but Andrew didn't need much convincing! We enjoyed 3 years of traveling, with 2 of those years spent performing and working at dinner theaters in AZ (winter) and WY (summer.) While this was fun, instructive, and overall a positive experience for the family, in 2015 we made the decision to move to TX and start a music school. We've been living in Texas ever since then- the kids are nearly grown now, with our 3 oldest boys living on their own and only our high school aged daughter still at home. We have downsized from our 180 student music school, and now teach music and run our business primarily online from our little house north of Austin. Our 4 chiweenie (chihuahua-dachsund mix) dogs and cat help keep us active and busy and we try to travel as much as possible. One of the most important things we've learned across 19 moves and countless miles driven in the US is that leaving home and your comfort zone can lead to really exciting and fulfilling adventures. As musicians, we often enjoy experiences that might not otherwise be possible, and we're so grateful for all the places that playing music continues to bring us. Life is a series of adventures, and we try to get the most we can from each one. We plan to travel internationally in the next few years, with the goal to play and learn music from people in other cultures and communities around the world.
