Jay's Career-Ending Diagnosis Help

I need your help.

My doctors have diagnosed me with a condition that means I can no longer work full-time as a musician - the only career that I’ve ever known.  Spinal cervical stenosis causes pain and numbness in my hands, which is likely to worsen if I continue performing. I need to make a transition.
(That's me conducting "The Lion King" 2009)


I have an great new business ready to go; but I need startup funds to get the education and certification that I need  to begin. I am ready to start immediately, but it will only happen with your help.

That's it in a nutshell. Please read on for more of my story. If you are a musician or love someone who is, please take a moment to read this.

I’ve been a pianist longer than I can remember. I started playing before I was old enough to go to school, figuring out tunes on a large upright piano that was built by my great-grandfather in the 1880’s. 


Throughout my school years, when other kids were outside playing, I was inside practicing. Those years of work paid off when I was accepted to Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music.

It was the beginning of a professional music career that would eventually lead me to Las Vegas. Here, I  worked for Broadway shows like “The Lion King” and “Phantom of the Opera”.

But everything changed. At first, I noticed that my neck really hurt after playing or conducting.  Then I found that the outside fingers on both of my hands felt weak and numb after just a few hours of rehearsal – sort of like when your arm or leg “falls asleep”.

Many doctor visits and an MRI later, the doctors diagnosed the cause of my pain; severe cervical stenosis – meaning that the inside of my spinal column gets very narrow in spots, pinching nerves and causing all sorts of problems. My spine is constricted by sixty percent in some places – mostly in the neck, which is where all of the major nerves for the hands run.
The spine specialist said that I could have extensive surgery to try to fix it, but that there was no guarantee, and that the potential complications might be worse than the symptoms.

Complete paralysis was possible.
It’s been very difficult for me to acknowledge that the career I’ve been preparing for since childhood is at an end. What now?


A few months ago, the person who cares for my piano mentioned that Las Vegas is seriously short of piano tuners and technicians.  It was like a light turned on somewhere!

Being a piano tech has the potential to be a lifelong career that will allow me to use many of the skills that I already have.

Certification by the national Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) is a process that will require dedicated study and a number of intense (and expensive) tests. But it is the gold medal that will help me to attract a strong clientele.
The Randy Potter School of Piano Technology  is generally acknowledged as the “gold standard” for online learning. Not only does it specifically help in preparing for the PTG exams, but the curriculum also includes classes on creating and running my own business. 

I believe that I can reach this goal within a year if I can raise the funds that I need.

It adds up quickly. The online training course is just under $2,000. A professional piano tuning wrench alone can cost $300 or more.  All together, my training - combined with the professional tools that I need - will cost around $10,000.

I can do this, but I need your help.

I appeal especially to the musicians. You understand my experience on a deep cellular level.
(That's me practicing a beautiful piece from "O" by Cirque du Soleil, 2011 - about the time that the problems started)

I want to be totally above-board and honest. I can still play - but not for the hours that it takes to be a professional. It is getting harder all the time. GoFundMe is enabling me to be proactive in creating a new career.

You’ve read this far, and that is not a coincidence. Something has called you to read these words and to find inspiration.  

This is a life-changing request. There are no words to express how grateful I am for your support. By helping me to help myself you are giving me a chance to work again.

Because of you, I have faith that I will succeed.


Thank you for your support!

Jay