We recently connected with Kevin Curtis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have to tell this story as it was one of the worst best things to move me into a full time career in music. I was working as Sam’s Club in the marketing dept. (another story for another article). I was going out in to the field with another associate. She was going to drop me off to pick up my car which was at my mechanics.

We are driving in her car and it starts beeping and all sorts of warning sounds are going off. I’m like what the heck ! She reaches under the dash and pulls out a hose looking thing. ‘Blow into this or the car is going to stop’!
I’m freaking out and realize it’s a Breathalyzer device on her car.

I’m now in shock blowing my brains out through this tube to keep the car running. We were out way longer than expected so I lied to cover her and myself. Best lie I ever told as I lost my job over it and went into music full-time. True story.

I was teaching out of my apartment at first and it wasn’t as professional as I wanted it so I had a credit card that I used to rent a small office and to get the equipment I needed. I had to wait till the afternoon as it was a professional building so I had to teach acoustic guitar until around five until the CPA’s, Insurance agents and lawyers left for the day.

I stayed there for three years and then moved right next to a music store in the next town. It worked out great. I went from 100 sq. f.t room to 1400 sq. ft. facility, and I stayed there for over ten years. My wife and I bought a house and it had a free standing building in the back yard that used to be a professional art studio.

It was turn key and I put carpet in it and was ready to teach lessons…in the same town that I had the other studio. Things have changed a lot as far as music so I changed my approach and started doing the smooth jazz gig.

I have been working the show for about 3 years and I am developing a musical bingo where I play 30 second segments of songs and you have an electronic bingo card. The cool thing is that I’m playing live so it’s a totally different vibe.

In short I could go do something different and sit at a desk and make way more money….and hate every minute of it. I don’t want my life to be living for the weekend.

Through the years I have had to adapt, take on side gigs to help pay the bills but I truly love what I do.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi, My name is Kevin Curtis and I am a professional smooth jazz guitarist and teacher, based in Terrell Texas. I am about 25 miles east of Dallas and would say that 80% of my musical performances happen there, and my student base is from Terrell, Forney, Kaufman and I also do virtual lessons.

What makes me unique is that I take the music that you know, and put a smooth jazz instrumental spin to it. I cover everything from The Temptations, to Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Stevie Wonder and everything else in between.

My music works great in a corporate event, seminars, city events such as civic auctions, festivals, in home concerts, restaurants, wineries and bistros. I also do weddings and my niche’ is the second time around weddings.

I have been playing since I was twelve and went to Berklee College of Music. I had gotten married and was out of the music industry for awhile and when I went back I realized that I had a real knack for not only performing, but teaching.

I was the guy that tried every conceivable way to do it the wrong way. I always thought “there has to be an easy way”. Through a lot of years trying to find that easy I found that there were easier ways, but music was far from easy.

I really dedicated myself into learning the right way, and then taking all my years of experience, to develop a method to get people up playing quickly, with understanding. I usually can get people up and playing from complete beginner in about three months. They’re not going to play Carnegie, but they can play some songs.

I found through my years of teaching that the way to keep someone practicing, was to find something that they are passionate about playing. I’ve got a student right now that is a Glen Campbell fanatic. He wanted to learn Glen’s Wichita Lineman….the way he plays it. The tune is way above his level, but he was so passionate about wanting to play it. I let him paint himself into a musical corner, and then started to give him the tools to help him paint his way out. He is learning so much of the basic fundamental’s by not killing his desire.

I’ve also learned that a lot of people have been so discouraged by online courses or teachers and teaching methods in general. They think they can’t do it, or there is something wrong with them. There has not been one student that I have not been able to teach….if they had the desire to learn and put in quality not quantity practice time.

As a teacher it’s my job to get into the students head and figure out how the process information. I already know the info, but I have to figure out how to translate that information so the student can process it clearly.
I also found that if I could answer the questions before they even asked them, that this would alleviate of the frustration and fear.

My favorite student is the one who thinks or has been told he or she can’t do it. Too young, too old, too small hands, to fat fingers, ADD, ADHD, LMNOP. I am very very open to learning disabilities and have many ways to help. We have this concept that if you have a disability it’s going to be harder or maybe impossible. I ave found in most cases it’s just finding out how the student processes information.

When I get that student playing their first song all the way through and they are strong and confident. Maybe there playing guitar and I’ll go get on the drums etc and watch them hold there own….priceless.

I love teaching about practice and stage presence, and how to set up a gig and equipment and all the things you’re going to encounter in a gig. My students learn to read, play by ear, read standard rhythm charts and tabs as you’re going to encounter that being out there playing.

As far as my performance career….it’s been an adventure. Back before 9/11, I was making a decent enough living playing the design district and the world trade center for fashion shows and such. I was also teaching some and work was pretty good. After 9/11 no one wanted to get on a plane and the corporate market just wen away. I immediately went into full time teaching.

After 25 years of teaching, the music industry and people changed. Students want that instant gratification. You can go to a Karate studio and do a breakaway board in a session, learn to catch a baseball in a couple of hours. Music takes….. a lifetime if you want to be really good at it. The music has changed a lot and the discipline too.

I decided to still teach, but get out there playing. I wanted to do something original in the sense of something that people would enjoy. I remembered a smooth jazz station that was in Dallas called The Oasis. Everyone listened to it, especially at work. I said ….I need to create that experience, live. I decided that all the music needed to be memorized so I was giving 100% of my effort to the audience. I have been working this show up now for about three years, and it’s starting to happen.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes….connection !!! We are losing connection. Through the arts we connect. We are so used to having our music in our ears most of the day. Go just about anywhere and you will see most people, even at work, with at least one earbud in an ear. They’re listening to their music, or are they?

I got my daughter into vinyl.. She is also an 80’s metal head who loves CD’s and uses my old CD player. What I love about vinyl is that it keeps you in close proximity with the source. You can’t put the record player on your hip and also in about twenty minutes you’re going to have to turn the record over.

You listen more intently and you can experience the music better, because your just listening not doing 40 different things.

We need more battle of the bands and community bands, festivals, things centered around the performing arts, and of course the visual arts.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

By supporting we need to first start giving art, value, worth. Go buy a PA or a good guitar and you’re talking thousands of dollars…..so I can go play a hundred dollar gig….which I just don’t do. I have a family like many other professional musicians.

Because we’ve gotten so used to things being recorded or the DJ, that we have lost the art of listening, Sit down and watch someone a true artist play. It’s amazing the skill level and when someone can make something really difficult look really easy.

There isn’t much more to say about this. Support by putting some value on the arts. We will pay $10 for a McDonalds meal but will sit and watch an artist play or even ask for a request without giving the artist a decent tip for their time. Venue’s you can be the absolute worse on this along with planners etc. You are shooting yourselves in the foot. We create an atmosphere for you, but are so far down on the list of value and priority.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kevincurtismusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guitaristkevincurtis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevincurtismusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevincurtismusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kevincurtismusic
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kevincurtismusic?lang=en

Image Credits
Emily and Don Mamone