About Mike Skee

Hello, I am Mike Slawinski, also known as "Mike. Skee".  I am a retired  Band Director and professional musician.  I have been a teacher for over forty years.

I was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, however, my family moved to Phoenix, Arizona when I was six years old. I attended (and graduated) from Royal Palm Elementary School (now a MIddle School) and Cortez High School. 

I hold a Bachelor of Music Education Degree as well as a Master of Music Degree in Music Performance, both from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.

I am a certified teacher with a Standard Elementary Certificate as well as a Standard Secondary Certificate and a Principal Certificate with endorsements in ESL, Reading, and Music.

I have taught in several cities throughout Arizona during my forty-one years as an educator.

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From the late sixties until the early nineties, I was a "weekend warrior" playing casual gigs mainly in the Phoenix area and also around the State of Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Nevada.  A few of the songs that I have recorded were some of the songs I performed regularly on gigs. I had my own trio but would also be a sideman for other groups. It was a fun ride, but eventually I got tired of hauling gear around, setting up, tearing down, etc. for each job.

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During the 80s, I was heavily involved in the studio recording demos, albums, etc.  With the new DAW software, I now do my recording at home using Logic Pro X.