About

About Mike

Hi, my name is Mike Willett, and I’m a guitar player! Nice to meet you!  Let’s get the bullet point version first, shall we?

  • 10 Years+ experience with Electric and Acoustic Guitars in many styles including, but not limited to -
    Jazz, Rock, Progressive Rock, Worship, Soul, Fusion and Funk both Live and in Studio
  • Received Associates and Bachelors Degrees in both general Music and Instrumental Performance, respectively
  • Recently completed a two year plus stay with local band “Solid Gold” and am currently beginning several new projects for this year!
  • Presently the Senior Guitar Instructor at local music store “Jam Music”; I am also available for instruction outside of the store
  • Available and prepared as a freelance guitar player to work in any situation from one-off live settings all the way to full time studio/live guitarist

Biography

Maryland-born and Florida-raised, I started playing guitar at the age of 14. Almost immediately I began lessons with local guitarist Doug Large. Very soon after starting lessons, I began to play in my church’s band. He also turned me on to another style of music that intrigued me. JAZZ. ‘Though it would still be some years before I would dive deeper into the rich history of music that Jazz provides, I instantly fell in love with the chord voicings.

During that time I was taking courses at Indian River Community College (now State) to prepare for a future in computer programming. As it would turn out, high level math really is not my strong suit. In the fall of 2003 I took a music history survey course that really turned my head towards pursuing music more seriously. About that same time I learned to read music through lessons at my current teaching gig (JAM Music). In Spring of 2004 I started my first music classes. During my time at IRCC I studied guitar with Ron Bartol and Mack Okubo and also performed with the Jazz Band and Jazz Combo. During the last semester and final summer, I was a member of a Jazz Quartet called the “Four Man Trio”. This became my first experience playing music outside of an academic or church setting. I was hooked.

I graduated a year later in Spring 2005 with an A.A. in Music. I began the rest of my college career that fall at Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. I went with the intention to study Jazz and Contemporary music.

My primary instructor and mentor during my time there was trumpeter Paul Butcher. Looking back, having someone that was not primarily a performer on my instrument was an extremely beneficial experience. Not only did he have the wisdom of a veteran performer, but he also gave me insight into becoming not simply a guitar player, but a musician. I also studied Jazz Piano and Jazz theory under his tutelage. My second instructor was guitarist Nathan Herrera. Through him I gathered a greater understanding of fingerstyle and classical performance.

At Southeastern I performed in the Jazz Band and Jazz Combo for three years. I also performed with the Guitar Ensemble playing a variety of music from Renaissance to Holiday. I also played with several church’s during my time in Lakeland, although the the church I would consider home was Church of The Highlands (currently known as T.B.A. Church). During my senior year, I began playing with singer/songwriter Andre Henry. In the Spring of 2008 we had the opportunity to perform in Nashville during the GMA week. Just after graduation in May of 2008 we spent three and a half weeks on the road performing with “The Extreme Tour” all the way from Rochester, NY down to Asheville, NC. We also recorded a demo in late 2007 which is available for purchase on iTunes.

After graduating and touring, I came back to my home town of Port Saint Lucie to begin working and making a career. I currently am the “Senior Instructor” at JAM Music where I teach five days a week. In the fall of 2009 I began to play with local Top 40 Dance Band “Just In Time” (formerly “Solid Gold”. I also have performed duos with other local guitarists. The first guitarist is coworker Spencer Sheperd. Together we briefly formed the aptly named duo “Treasure Coast Guitar Duo”. We performed a variety of jazz and classical music, both solo and duet. The second guitarist is Ben Mejia whom I attended IRCC with back in 2004/2005.  You can also find me participating in worship every week at Morningside Church here in Port Saint Lucie.

Currently, I am starting several new exciting projects that I can’t WAIT to tell you about!