Music. It is a universal means of communication, a creative outlet, and a path for emotional expression. Every individual can experience this differently and should be given the opportunity to do so. My goal as an educator is to provide all students with this opportunity to experience music their own way.

Teaching involves a delicate dance between content, instruction, and enjoyment. Students must learn the technical aspects of music in order to guide their own learning process.

Every student who walks through the door is going to have varied interests, life experiences, and backgrounds that leads to everyone learning differently and at different levels. I hope to present musical content to students and engage them as individual learners. It is especially important to create a safe and open learning environment for students so they feel comfortable to express themselves. Through this nurturing learning environment I hope to create well-rounded musicians with a life-long appreciation for music.

Connecting with students and building healthy relationships is also important. It has to be a balance of encourage, push, inspire, fail and shine. The needs of every student are always different and it is my job to have the tools to find a way that works for them. I believe that in every  lesson I teach I learn as much from my students as they have learn from me.

My greatest joy comes not from knowing that my students won jobs or competitions, but that they went out and spread kindness, smiles, and generosity.  My job as a teacher is not only to make fabulous musicians but to make good humans.