First Encounters with Music and Sports
My story begins in 1966 in Mexico City, where I was born into a middle-class family. As the eldest of five siblings, I grew up in an environment where music and sports were intertwined with our daily lives, although not formally. My earliest musical memories are linked to my parents’ love story; they met at a dance. My mother, an educator, and my father, a civil engineer with a passion for classical music, instilled in me a deep appreciation for harmony and rhythm.
My family’s musical influence extended to previous generations, embodied by my great-grandmother, Mamá Chole, a loving presence with whom I had the privilege of sharing 19 years full of teachings and melodies. She and my mother, singing duets, taught me from a very young age that music was more than sound; it was a language of the soul and a family bond. Sundays at home were filled with the symphonies of Beethoven and Italian opera, courtesy of my father, who also inherited a youthful taste for serenades.
Although we weren’t a particularly athletic family, my parents enrolled me in swimming lessons at age five, marking the beginning of my relationship with physical activity and self-improvement.
This is where the first foundations of my method began to form, although I didn’t know it at the time. The love for music and the discipline of sports were influences that, years later, would lead me to develop a philosophy based on the combination of precise technique, self-discipline, and a deep understanding of the mental processes that enable long-term learning.
Adolescence and Youth: Exploring Passions
When I turned 8, we moved to Cuernavaca, and my life took a turn that would bring me even closer to music and sports. At my new school, I joined the rondalla (a traditional plucked string ensemble), where I learned to play and sing, and discovered the value of chord diagrams and American notation.
During my first year in Cuernavaca, I also enrolled in judo, but it was basketball that truly captured my sporting spirit. Under the guidance of Coach Jaime, I learned invaluable lessons about dedication and teamwork. Music, however, kept calling me. The generosity of my grandmother Amparo provided us with a Petrof upright piano, marking the beginning of my formal musical education with my Uncle Carlitos.
Although my uncle suggested I consider studying at the National Conservatory of Music, this idea didn’t resonate with me or my parents at the time. Instead, I continued exploring my passion for music through school song festivals and my growing guitar skills, inspired by a classmate who introduced me to trova cubana and the music of Silvio Rodríguez.
This stage represented a true expansion of my vision of music. Here I began to understand the importance of technique, but also how the body and mind needed to be perfectly aligned to achieve real mastery of the instrument. These ideas would eventually integrate into my methodology, which would later incorporate concepts of proprioception and neuroplasticity as pillars of musical development.
Musical Renaissance and Academic Training
At the crossroads of adulthood, I found myself torn between my aptitude for exact sciences and my passion for music. Following the advice of those around me, I chose to study chemical engineering at UNAM, temporarily pausing my musical journey.
However, it was during my university studies that a chance encounter with the Manuel M. Ponce International Guitar Competition rekindled my passion. Meeting Maestro Mario Beltrán del Río and joining his workshop was a decisive moment that redefined my musical path.
Under the guidance of Mario and later Maestro Humberto Hernández Medrano, a student of Dimitri Shostakovich, I immersed myself in the study of music theory, solfeggio, and composition. Maestro Medrano’s workshop covered a broad spectrum of music theory and practice, from harmony and counterpoint to analysis and musical forms.
This period was key in forming my method. Maestro Medrano’s teachings gave me a deep understanding of musical structure, while my scientific background allowed me to see music differently, almost like a structured system that could be deciphered and perfected through deliberate practice and conscious focus.
Foray into Teaching and Music Production
Shortly after finishing my studies, I began giving lessons based on Maestro Medrano’s workshop. Although I didn’t always have a large number of students, my teaching was enriched by the use of emerging digital tools.
My first income as a composer came from music for a children’s story, and later, I had the opportunity to collaborate on the composition for a television novel thanks to my friend and workshop colleague, Jorge Avendaño. Although this project didn’t meet my expectations, I continued exploring new opportunities, such as composing for a play and, finally, my first notable success: the music for the first Honda Accord commercial on national television.
Peak in Advertising and the Recording Studio
Over the next fifteen years, I thrived in the world of advertising, working with prominent brands and establishing my own recording studio, StormStudios, in collaboration with my friend Rodolfo Martínez. This period not only boosted my growth as a composer and producer but also confronted me with the challenges of continuous learning.
It was during a quiet period when, with my friend Salvador González, we decided to search Amazon for books that could fill our knowledge gaps. We acquired The Art of Mixing, a book that transformed my understanding of music production and led me to discover David Lucas Burge’s perfect pitch method.
Dedicating a full year to this method and later exploring his relative pitch course opened a new chapter in my musical journey. This period was crucial not only for my development but also for training my first professional student, Armando García, who would later receive recognition for his contributions to the studio’s projects.
This is where the idea began to form that perfect pitch wasn’t just a genetic rarity, but a skill that could be cultivated through the right methodology. My research and personal experiences started aligning to form the principles that would later become the core of my teaching method.
During this time, I began experimenting with the idea of systematically training my ear. These initial experiences led me to understand how ear training could shape the brain and improve musical perception as tangibly as practicing an instrument did. This would be one of the fundamental seeds that shaped my approach to perfect and relative pitch in my method.
It was at this stage of my professional career that I had the opportunity to participate in some of the most important projects as a composer and producer. I worked for top-tier clients in Mexico City, including Televisa and TV Azteca, as well as in advertising for renowned brands like Honda, Citigroup, HSBC, and Citibanamex. I was also part of the successful series by the renowned producer Pedro Torres: ‘El Encanto del Águila’, ‘Mujeres Asesinas’, and ‘El Equipo’, the latter ones right after studying sound engineering with the great Ronan Chris Murphy in Los Angeles.
(Click the image to listen to the demo):
Transition to the World of Fitness and Bodybuilding
The 2008 financial crisis brought changes to the music industry that led me to gradually move away from composition and explore new interests, such as bodybuilding. Guided by books written by neurologists specializing in nutrition, I began researching the relationship between brain function and diet.
My transition to the fitness world was driven both by my passion for sports and the need to protect my hearing health after an incident during my Tae Kwon Do practice. Under the guidance of a nutritionist, I joined her bodybuilding team and eventually took charge of my own preparation.
At age 52, I won the Masters Men’s Physique world championship at Musclemania 2018 in Las Vegas, an achievement that demonstrated the power of dedication and perseverance.
The process of physical training connected with my vision of musical training. Control over the body, the importance of proprioception, and the discipline of physical training are the same principles that, when applied to music, allow us to achieve absolute mastery over our instruments and auditory perceptions.
Return to Music Teaching and Methodological Development
However, music never ceased to be part of my life. The opportunity to tutor my friend Julio Flores’ son marked my return to the music world, this time as an educator. This new role rekindled my passion for developing an innovative teaching methodology, a project I have been working on for the past 15 years.
My own journey, from student to professional and now educator, has given me a unique perspective on musical learning and strategies for nurturing talent. Through my story, I have learned that one doesn’t need to be a prodigy to achieve musical excellence. With dedication, passion, and the right guidance, anyone can develop extraordinary skills.
I invite you to join me on this journey of discovery and growth, as we explore together the fascinating world of music and the unlimited potential of the human being.