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About Me
As a musician and private music lesson teacher I'm dedicated to helping my students develop their skills and find joy in the process.
I have over 15 years of experience teaching music to students of all ages and abilities (including adults), and I also specialize in early childhood music education.
As a holistic teacher, my lessons are tailored to each student with the goal to provide the highest-quality music lesson and to allow space for each student to be who they are and feel seen.
Bio
"The important thing is to not stop questioning."
- Albert Einstein
As a child I was lucky enough to grow up in a household with two musical parents. Both actors and musicians, my parents were rehearsing audition material, writing and recording their original music, and listening to all kinds of music for work and for pleasure. This environment laid the foundation for my love of music and piqued my curiosity about creativity and self-expression through this art form. I didn't know it then, but this environment laid the foundation for my interest and passion for Early Childhood Music Education.
I began my musical education with piano lessons at the age of seven and continued into my teens until I completed my Grade 8 Piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music. This gave me a foundation and fostered a love of classical piano repertoire and composers such as Bach, Chopin, Debussy and Satie.
As a teen I became really interested in Jazz while listening to anything in my parents' collection. I had the opportunity to play the saxophone in my school band and fell in love with the instrument. This led me to pursue the saxophone in a post-secondary setting at York University and then Humber College where I had the privilege of studying with some of the best saxophone players on the Canadian and international scenes such as, Kirk MacDonald, Pat LaBarbera, Mark Promane, Andy Ballantyne, and Don Palmer.
At Humber, I also studied arranging with trumpeter, composer, and arranger, John MacLeod. His teachings were not only essential to my skills as an arranger and composer for small and large ensembles, but also serve as a solid foundation for creating customized arrangements for my students.
In 2017, I enrolled in a certificate in Early Childhood Music Education through the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Toronto Metropolitan University. I have studied the philosophies and methodologies of Jacques Dalroze, Zoltan Kodály, and Carl Orff which has informed my teaching to include the ear, voice, and body as tools to build musicianship that can be translated to the instrument seamlessly.
My compassion combined with my variety of musical skills makes me a teacher who is committed to nurturing my students' creativity, curiosity, and encouraging them to look inward to find out what music truly means to them.
Education
Royal Conservatory of Music & Toronto Metropolitan University
2017 – Present
Enrolled in Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Music Education
Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC
2012
Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies
(Articulated through Humber College)
Humber College, Toronto, ON
2008
Diploma in Jazz Studies (Honours)
York University, Toronto, ON
2002 – 2004
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Spec. Hons. Music
Philosophy
Music is in all of us from the time we hear our mother's heartbeat in the womb. Our first instrument is our body combined with our senses of sight, touch, and sound.
We learn music like we learn a language: by listening, imitating, and eventually finding our own voice.
Too often, students are expected to learn to play an instrument and read music before they have fully nurtured this connection.
The transition from ear/body/voice into reading and writing is a delicate process that requires awareness and sensitivity.
I am passionately dedicated to fostering a holistic connection to music for all of my students so they may discover and express their own inner voice.
Recital & Performances
Every spring I host a recital to give each student an opportunity to practice performing in front of their friends and family.
Every student is welcome and encouraged to participate.
The repertoire selection is a collaboration between myself and the student to make sure it's a selection that they are excited about playing. This way it reflects something about who they are at that moment in time.
Sometimes students will choose to have me accompany them in a duet while others want to perform a solo piece. If they need to have me by their side for support, I will be there.
I have always found it to be a chance to celebrate their musicianship, creativity, and unique personalities.
