Holiday Gift certificates Shop Now!
BA, St. Mary’s College of Maryland Music
2015 Alice Fluery & Arthur S. Zamanakos Prize in Music
I am a pianist, musician and artist with over eighteen years of experience. My main passion lies in the collaborative arts, and I greatly enjoy accompanying and coaching vocalists and instrumentals from all ages. I have a versatile career in teaching and coaching multiple genres of music, including pop, rock, classical, blues, showtunes, music theater and jazz. I have performed as a soloist and collaborative artist in The United States and Europe. I received my BA in Music from St. Mary's College of Maryland, Magna Cum Laude, and I was a participant of the Frost School of Music at Salzburg Music Festival (2015), the Eastern Music Festival (2014) and the Alba Music Festival (2013).
I have taught privately for over five years. Starting in college, I taught several students on violin before making piano my primary instrument. Since graduating from college, I have continued with my private studio in additional to expanding my work with local public schools and youth choirs. I have experience coaching students for college auditions and solo & ensemble at the local and state level. I have worked with adults, high schools and young kids in ages ranging from six to fifteen years of age.
For young, beginning and novice students, I believe that it is important to find and instill a love of music before diving too deeply into the fundamentals. Music is a beautiful thing, but it can be overwhelmingly complex at the same time. I will only take on students who show a genuine interest in music, and from there I like to cultivate that interest. We can discover what they like about music and go from there. During this time, I will use different teaching styles to find what methods work best for a particular student. For adult or intermediate to advanced students, I hold much higher expectations in and out of lessons. I want students to have a thorough understanding of music so that they may better learn and discover things for themselves. This process takes time and energy from the student. During lessons, I will provide appropriate fundamental methods, exercises and repertoire for an individual student's needs. I will also provide tools to students for effective practice and learning on their own.
Not all students learn the same way, and it is my job as a teacher to be flexible and apply different teaching methods and styles based on the needs of an individual student. This process takes time, and I prefer to work with new students consistently and regularly during the first few months to establish a relationship, discover their individual passion for music and find their unique learning style. I hope to do this by instilling my own love and passion for music. i understand the challenges and rewards that come in learning music, and I love to share my own experiences with students to better connect and engage with students.