Joel got his first guitar at the age of five. Growing up in Uxbridge he was a member of the Joseph Gould Jazz Band, the Uxbridge Secondary School concert and jazz band (on bass and electric guitar respectively) and was a regular member of the Uxbridge Youth Theatre and Onstage Uxbridge pit bands and crew. Upon graduating high school Joel was the recipient of the Uxbridge Youth Theatre scholarship and the Uxbridge Music Trust scholarship.

Joel studied music and jazz guitar for four years at the University of Guelph. While in Guelph, Joel played with a wide variety of musical groups in genres ranging from jazz, free jazz, rock, choir, pop, folk, and blues. It was here that Joel became interested in fingerstyle guitar and singing and started to develop a name for himself as a solo performer. Joel’s musical journey has allowed him the opportunity to play hundreds of gigs in venues ranging from private parties, cafes, markets, bars, weddings, concert halls, music festivals and more.

In 2016 and 2017 Joel competed in the Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Competition against competitors from across the globe and came in 4th and 3rd place respectively.

In 2018, Joel received the Music Creation grant from the Ontario Arts Council to write music for an upcoming release of solo fingerstyle guitar pieces.

Joel now resides in Toronto where he teaches guitar, ukulele, piano and singing and performs regularly by himself and with various groups.