Personal Description:

Mark is a sitar player, composer and producer. As a Sitarist he is a disciple of the sitar maestro Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan, specializing in the “Gayaki-ang” (vocal style) of sitar playing in Hindustani Classical Music. Based in Montréal, Canada.

Mark music is both creative and expansive. A well seasoned artist in many genres of music and instruments, he has evolved his artistic focus as a Hindustani classical practitioner and fusion artist, ranging from Trap, Hip Hop, EDM to Jazz. His music journey has evolved from his early beginnings on drums and orchestral percussion as a teenager, to electric guitar, bass, tabla, and now sitar. Mark is well versed in music production using Ableton Live and as well Logic.

In his training journey, he has diversified experience through periods of self teaching, formal college training in Jazz and Western Classical at Vancouver Community College, and traditional training in North Indian Classical under Ustad Ashraf Sharif khan. He has received mentorship in music production and session musician work under Juno award winning artist Devon Martin AKA Mr Metro, for styles such as Reggae, Gospel, Hip Hop and Pop. Attending workshops from various big named artists such as Victor Wooten, Chuck Rainey, to Ustad Shahid Parvez.

Tutoring Experience:

Private tutoring has spanned over 7 years. First at the request of friends preparing for college and university music programs, peers attending college and extending to the adult hobby musician, looking to gain more ease in their music skills.

Instruments that have been taught: guitar, beginner level piano, electric bass, sitar. Mark has a very special talent with music theory, as well ear training.

Tutoring Approach:

Music allows us to express ourselves uniquely, and gaining the skills to acquire this ability can be a very individual process. There will be an initial skill assessment to determine the student's strengths, and define what areas of improvement are needed. For students enrolled in secondary and post secondary programs, tutoring sessions can be catered to the needs of the program.

While there is a consistency in the types of music terms used in academia, many institutions have preferences for specific vocabulary. The approach taken will have awareness to creating a foundation that can translate and cross over the varying terminological designations with ease.

We absorb and embody the learning experience as a musician, that can carry with us for our musical lives. Mark's philosophy is being focused on expression with feeling, while using intellectual tools to help provide aid in refining our technique to do so. The process of learning should be fun, especially with anything challenging!

The process of practicing will be refined, strategizing time management, organization skills, and constantly evolving practice routines overtime. Goal setting is vital, with consistent encouragement and reminders of the end game. All provided tutoring will be intentional, maintaining focus on what the student wants musically, while also providing options for musical areas not considered before.