Don’s love for music started at the age of 5 when he found he could copy musical passages his older siblings were playing on the piano.  Formal piano training began at the age of 7 along with many years of Recitals and CMEA performances.  At the age of 13, Don began to study jazz and play in the school Jazz Band. At the age of 17, Don graduated in 1984 from Castro Valley High School with 2 awards: "Most Outstanding Musician" and “Most Outstanding Jazz Musician”.  He continued to study Piano, Voice, Jazz and 20th Century Harmony at Chabot College, Hayward, then 4 years later under the Don Costa Scholarship, Don graduated from the “Keyboard Instruction Program” at The Grove School Of Music in Los Angeles and was placed on the Dean's List.

     The private and class instruction Don has received over a period of 15 years has given him the education and tools to become a very sought-after instructor.  Utilizing the knowledge he gained from many instructors such as Betty Livesay, Dan Pasternak, Bob Athayde, Frank Sumares, Mark Levine, Don Haas, Dick Heindman, Lou Levy, Joe Harnell and Dick Grove, Don now offers private instruction in two locations: Danville Music, and DKS Productions in Hayward, CA.  While studying with some of these master instructors, Don decided to put all the great information he acquired into authoring his own book on Jazz Piano, entitled "The System."