Hello, I am Fyodor D’Souza and my origins are from Goa, India but I was born in the USA and currently reside in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
I’ve been playing the guitar since I was around 2 years old (at least, that’s what my parents tell me), and started by first strumming my chest with my fingers while the choir played during the Sunday Church Service, i.e. the choir could never put me to sleep you know!
My first guitar was a $1 inflatable one from Dollar Tree that I was gifted on my second birthday by my parents. Those were the days when I would be glued to the television set watching Barney and Sesame Street,… but would also listen and watch Raffi Cavoukian, the Canadian singer-lyricist and author known best for his children’s music. Shake My Sillies Out, Rise and Shine, Baby Beluga were some of my favorites and I would rock the house with my inflatable.
I progressed to my first steel string acoustic at the tender age of four – it was one of those $35 guitars from Toys “R” Us. Now I own a Yamaha FS700S, a Ibanez S521 Electric, Lucero LC100CE Acoustic-Electric and a CF Martin GPCPA4. I have been taking regular guitar lessons for past six years at Community Music School and I am greatly appreciative of faculty there.
My parents enjoy the styles of the 60’s and 70’s both for the acoustic singer-songwriters as well as the iconic bands and I just jumped right into it. So while my friends are listening to new wave music of 21st century, I am learning to play finger-style covers of Paul Simon, The Beatles, Everly Brothers, John Denver, Jim Croce, James Taylor, Elton John and the list goes on and on.
The bug to play electric hit me at my middle school Jazz Band at the age of 11 where I also accompany as a Tenor Saxophonist. A special thank-you to my elementary and middle school music teachers for providing me with a platform to perform for my school audience.
So what does all this mean for visitors of fretsndots? It means I love music and share that talent at every available occasion. The cause that I especially hold very dear to my heart is supporting the homeless in the Lehigh Valley area in Pennsylvania. “Where Words Fail, Music Speaks” as Hans Christian Andersen the Danish author and poet once wrote, and through my music I share my love for the families and their children experiencing homelessness in our communities by being an Ambassador for the Sixth Street Shelter
I am also an avid tennis player and a Boy Scout who loves the outdoors. Besides, I am also a member of the Young Musicians Club of Allentown. Finally, a special shout-out to my dad who has been my musical inspiration, mentor and rodeo for all my performances without whom I doubt if I would have come this far.
– Life’s4Caring –