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Bachelor Degree: Reed College
2014: Winner of Essentially Ellington Competition with Tucson Jazz Institute
2012-2014: Recipient of Numerous Outstanding Soloist Awards from Fullerton and NAU Jazz Festivals
2018: Academic Commendation for Coursework in Music
I Love teaching music, and love helping others progress on their musical journeys! I've played music for as long as I can remember, and spent my childhood learning just about every instrument I could get my hands on. As a young adult, I rigorously practiced piano and studied music theory, eventually writing an 80 page thesis analyzing jazz piano improvisation in college. Now, I like to spread my love of music by showing others how much joy it has brought to my life, and helping them to experience that same joy.
Musically, I have been involved in just about every activity you can think of! Although I spend the majority of my time on jazz piano, I have accompanied choirs, played baritone in marching bands, played guitar in rock bands, played bass in funk bands... I like to think that my wide array of experience allows me to cater to a variety of learning styles. In terms of education, I have been working in early childhood and music schools for more than 8 years, teaching children as young as 2 and as old as 20. Music lessons have allowed me to combine my experience in music and education, helping young students to progress quickly.
I am open to a wide variety of teaching methods! By not committing to one specific method, I allow myself to be flexible and respond to my student's needs. For example; if a student has limited eyesight, as a previous student of mine had, I will focus on teaching by-wrought rather than by using written notation. I take extreme care planning lesson plans for my students, and often find myself thinking what would best help my students in my off time. Please get in touch and we can talk about your specific needs, I would love to come up with a lesson plan tailored for you!
I think of two things as being central to my teaching style: Fun, and Growth. I think too many music lessons dry out the material, and suck the fun out of something that should be inherently joyful! I try to make every music lesson interesting, and keep my students engaged by giving them material that gets them hyped. Second, I think music is a great chance for people to experience the joy in Growth. By focusing on the process of learning rather than the destination of "being good," the skills used in music lessons can be applied to many different parts of life.