ALEX ARANGO

PIANO I MUSIC PRODUCTION I ACCORDION

Alex Arango is a multi-instrumentalist composer and music producer. Born in a small town outside of Medellín, Colombia, his early musical influences emerged from listening to Cumbia, Vallenato, and Salsa music. After immigrating to the United States, he became drawn to Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Rock music. This eclectic palate of sounds developed his ear and musical taste, enabling him to collaborate with Folk, R&B, Latin, Jazz, and Tango bands, and with artists including Lawrence Park, Orillero Ensemble, Thalma de Freitas, and Craig Marker, among others. His work has earned him awards such as the Jazz Society and ICAM Creative Awards from the UCSD Music Faculty and the Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award from the Rotary Club of San Jose in recognition of his artistic accomplishments. 

Alex holds a Music Technology degree from UC San Diego where he studied Jazz piano and composition under the tutelage of 2-time Grammy award-winning producer, Kamau Kenyatta. In addition to playing the piano, accordion, bass, and organ, Alex has also assumed the role of Front of House Engineer and Lighting Engineer for national and international touring acts such as Kris Bowers, Dayme Arocena, American Authors, Baby Bushka, Us the Duo, and Alfredo Rodriguez.

As a music educator, Alex specializes in teaching piano, music production, and accordion. His students learn to analyze songs to increase their understanding of music theory. This emphasis on theory allows the students to play a wide repertoire of music ranging from classical to Jazz pieces. Alex loves passing on his knowledge and it's this passion for teaching that enables him to adapt to a student's learning style, helping them become better musicians. 

If you're interested in Alex's work, you can find some of it at www.alexarangomusic.com.