After his West Coast Jazz experience Starling came back to hometown Dania, Florida to teach the children to play music. Realizing the wealth of un-tapped talent in the youth of his hometown, he formed the non-profit music school and began teaching the children after school. I had migrated from Michigan in 1978. A bored bass player and mystified by the newfound Jaco Pastorius, I wanted to breath that tropical air that Jaco was raised on. Once settled in, I met Starling Howard in late 1979. Together with his wife Joan, we taught the kids in the small South Florida town of Dania the rudiments of music. At night he would teach me the number system cycling the 5ths and 4ths, playig "changes". Playing old standards and ballads me on the bass and he on guitar. During the day we held school in the storefront that was just west of the tracks on West Dania Beach Blvd. The storefront and connected garage was donated to the non-profit by a local businessman Mr. He ran the local grocery store in blacktown Dania. Everybody in town knew me as the music man. I spent the better part of 3 years in blacktown Dania, at the workshop, teaching the kids after school and learning from Starling and Joan Howard. Some days we would have up to 20 children learning the fundamentals. This is the nucleus of the ensemble is: LaShandra, Turnquest Jones, Guitar - Carl Butler, piano - Earl Whiters, Drums - Earl, bass - Leon, percussion.
