Chris Pawola - Professional educator, producer, recording engineer and performer.
Chris is the owner of The Music and Sound Company in DeKalb, Illinois - about 50 miles west of Chicago.
As an educator: Chris has been a private music instructor for over 25 years and has worked in the music classroom for 15 years. He has a gentle, effective way of teaching music utilizing many methods. Chris has taught children to read music even before they could read written words. Many of his students have gone on to have highly successful careers as musicians, recording artists and music educators. He believes every student has the inherent ability to play an instrument despite any difficulty they may encounter learning in the classroom. Recognizing the unique potential in every student, Chris's teaching strategies focus on the individual. One method does not fit all!! This belief combined with a consistent practice routine, strong discipline and parental support, almost guarantees the musical success of every student.
As a producer: Chris has produced and performed on over 50 albums since 2000. He recognizes flaws in performances with a very acute ear and gives advice on how to make the performance better than ever imagined. He is patient and willing to go the distance to bring out the best in each musician. Chris is extremely knowledgeable in music theory and styles. He will suggest appropriate vocal and instrumental harmonies and even be as bold as to remove a guitar from the guitarist to tune it perfectly. Don't be offended if he does this to you!
As an engineer: Chris knows his stuff; how to achieve an awesome drum sound, proper mic placement, creative stereo imagining of each instrument, sonic balance, incredible vocal warmth... He also works quickly. Chris is usually multi-tasking by working on mixing the song while tracking an individual instrument, saving time during the final mix. He can punch in an entire section of music or just a single note or chord. His studio is state of the art. It includes some of the best microphones, pre amps, monitors, computers and digital software available. His sound has the warmth and vintage beauty of an analogue setup combined with the clarity of today's digital formats. The sound enhancement materials used in the MSC studio were designed by one of the best acoustic engineers in the industry. Chris's skills as an engineer are amongst the best in the field, without the overly inflated hourly rates you will find in many studios with much less competent engineers.
As a performer: Chris began his professional performing career in 1981 with "one of Chicago's greatest punk bands" (Quote taken from "The Chicago Punk Vault"). He has played numerous venues from weddings, funerals, major city clubs and private parties to the Rockford Metro Center and Indiana's Holiday Star Plaza. He is a true entertainer with exceptional guitar, piano and percussion skills. He can captivate an audience of hundreds of children, or as few as a dozen adults. His live equipment sounds great and he is ALWAYS ON TIME to a gig!! You can count on him to provide an exciting evening of excellent, diverse music with a genuine appreciation for the crowd.
Chris studied with the world renowned guitarists, Ray Geitsch and Bobby Roberts and received his degree in music education with an emphasis in jazz and classical guitar from Northern Illinois University in 1989.
"A modern day Mozart" Bradley Fish - performer and producer now living in Jerusalem
"The songs reeked of teenage angst with a heavy dose of self criticism and teen undertones. Many remember shows where the crowd was pelted with hot dogs and turkey. Costuming and props were also common. The music was muddy punk rock with Chris adding searing guitar solos atypical of hardcore music at the time." Kevin Folta - Professor in the Microbiology Department at the University of Florida in Gainesville