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I was definitely a thespian of sorts in elementary school. I went to a real small private school, and every year, I participated in the talent shows and the school plays - all of 'em.

I thought of school as a captive audience. It gave me a chance to work on my material.

People call me for the ballads. Apparently that's where I've been pigeonholed. But it's really interesting and really fun. It's my favourite part of the job, writing.

When I was a teenager, I began to settle into school because I'd discovered the extracurricular activities that interested me: music and theater.

I have always been involved in my school's music program.

I got a chance to listen to and watch Thelonious Monk and his quartet play two shows a night, for six weeks. It was a great education. There was my university, man.

I went to a boarding school when I was 13, and it was a very arty school, so there was an opportunity for a lot more. I joined a band and so on. We would do concerts at school, and I would play cover tunes and thought, 'This is really great.'

I'm a huge fan of music in schools and music education because that's how I grew up.

I completely love music. I used to be the music critic at 'The Improper Bostonian.' It's just something I've always loved very deeply.

I'm very obsessed with pop culture of the mid-century and it goes hand-in-hand with the music that I studied in school.