Teacher Profile: Curtis Walker
About Curtis Walker
Curtis is a music nerd, jack-of-all trades sort of musician whose passion and enthusiasm about any musical performance can light up a room. Drawing from his lifetime of work experience in various fields and industries, Curtis bridges the gap between arts and sciences to draw a harmony so to better learn, understand and appreciate music and it’s layers of connection. From ear training to acoustics, Curtis is equipped to teach how it all relates back to the performer and how one’s knowledge and technique can create the most amazing musical experiences.
Born into very musical families in Detroit, MI, Curtis’ parents moved to Renton, WA before signing up for private piano lessons at age eight. Performing for his family and various private events, celebrations of life, including his grandmother’s memorial at age twelve, Curtis was a nerdy but pure musical talent who literally got glasses for staring too close to the TV. Curtis’ childhood heroes growing up were a host of great musicians like Oscar Peterson, Glenn Gould Chick Corea, and video game characters like Link, Samus, and Crono.
At age seventeen, Curtis’ first student learned the theme of Beethoven’s Fur Elise in a month. Shortly afterwards, Curtis placed 3rd in regional competitions playing Chopin. Though it seemed clear Curtis was to be a musician, after graduating high school, Curtis enlisted for six years in the US Navy as a submarine nuclear propulsion plant mechanical operator. Able to hold a tune, he sung in the choir for three bootcamp graduating classes. Eventually learning how difficult it was to bring a keyboard onboard a US submarine, Curtis took up Classical/Flamenco Guitar for two years until he was honorably discharged for his service, earning him money to pay for his formal interdisciplinary education.
Curtis graduated with a Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts from the Evergreen State College, incorporating classes from Berklee’s school of music Online Program and University of Nevada Las Vegas’s celebrated Jazz Department into a wide learning about music and the music industry. Graduating college during the 2008 financial crisis, Curtis worked in many fields utilizing his engineering background, from working maintenance at Wild Waves Enchanted Village, to making Gatorade at Pepsi, however he never did he stop playing and teaching music.
Curtis became a music technologist after managing at Guitar Center for two years, while pursuing countless opportunities to work in music professionally in whatever capacity. Whether performing as a bandmate, staging as an audio tech or producing as a sound engineer, Curtis worked for many local bands, community and church productions and organizations, playing various gigs across the south Puget Sound region and valley of Las Vegas, all while continuing to teach and perform piano. After Covid, Curtis worked for Seattle Public Schools as a substitute teacher, instructional assistant and paraprofessional, where he realized he wished to teach music full time.
Curtis openly laughs out loud joking that if he’d played piano for just just half of the time he played video games, his now 35 years as a musician would leave people everywhere in awe. Curtis’ love for music extends beyond his own life’s experience, for despite never being a “successful musician”, no one might display the enrichment music has in someone’s life better than Curtis.