Complex sentence: Born in Reno, Nevada, Whitacre studied piano intermittently as a child, later joining a junior high marching band under band leader Jim Burnett and later playing synthesizer in a techno-pop band, dreaming of being a rock star.
Split into simpler sentences: Born in Reno, Nevada, Whitacre studied piano intermittently as a child and joined a junior high marching band under band leader Jim Burnett. Later he played synthesizer in a techno-pop band, dreaming of being a rock star.