Pianist/composer Aaron Parks was raised in Seattle, WA. He began playing piano at age 10, learning mostly by ear, and was immediately attracted to improvised music. He first came on the radar screen when at 14 years old, he skipped high school and started the University of Washington as part of the Early Entrance Program. At first, he intended to triple-major in math, computer science, and music, but soon realized that he wanted to follow his passion for music fully.