Mark Prigoff (of Digital Jazz Productions) has been a keyboardist for over 50 years. Mark has performed from as early as six years old and continued to do so throughout his musical career. Mark admits to both the advantages and disadvantages of being able to play just about anything he hears without sheet music. "I started playing whatever I heard when I was four years old and it's a gift which most sight-readers would love to be able to do. The downside is that reading the bass clef has always been difficult for me, but if I can read or hear the melody, I can usually fill-in the chords on my own, and there are plenty of PVC or PVG arrangements out there, especially when it comes to 'pop' music." Mark joined the school band and orchestra (in elementary school) as a drummer and percussionist (which was much easier to sight-read) and then continued to take drum lessons in addition to his keyboard studies. "Having a good sense of drumming and percussion really comes in handy, especially with undertanding timing and rhythm tracks for a digital or MIDI recorded sequence." "Our school system provided an excellent experience for me in all phases of music. I participated in many talent concerts as a keyboardist, performed with the school band, orchestra and marching bands, and by high school, we had many exchange concerts with regional schools and those in Don Mills (near Toronto, Canada), Montreal, and various schools in New York and New Jersey. Our high school marhcing band performed at West Point Academy and participated in the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. By that time, I had already studied piano and music theory with the late Claire Cochi at her music school in Tenafly, NJ, and then later went to Interlochen (the National Music Camp) in Ann Arbor, Michigan to study orchestral percussion, piano, and other related musical disciplines." In later years, Mark performed with the jazz-fusion group, High Tide, in NYC and did accompaniments for various vocalists and instrumental artists on the rise. After teaching piano and organ at Frank & Camille's Keyboard Centers, Mark became a National Finalist in the 1988 Yamaha National Electone Keyboard Festival and performed an original composition and drum solo, "HX-Excitement" on the HX1 Electone Keyboard Instrument at the La Mirada Civic Center in California. It was quite an experience for him as he had only spent just under five months learning to play the organ for this event. "I was shocked that they selected me to come to the finals... a little nerve-racking, but also some great fun for me." Then, three of his students followed in his footsteps to the finals during the next four years. Today, after performing locally for many years, Mark now concentrates on recording in his home studio and listening to as much music as he can. "The more music you listen to, the broader your musical vocabulary becomes."