Stephanie C  
Instruments: Piano, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Clarinet
Styles: Classical, Folk, Gospel, Spirituals

My musical journey began at nine years old with piano lessons - not at all an uncommon beginning but an important one. Less than two years later I joined the band playing clarinet. As a high school student, all-state performances and honor bands fiilled many weekends, and I had the privilege of playing regularly in my church on the piano. While playing in a youth symphony as a senior, we toured in Austria absorbing centers of musical history and playing in four uniquely different venues including a wing of the Schonbrunn Palace. Following high school, I spent six years scooping up opportunities, training, and degrees in music education. Another trip to Bangladesh opened my ears to the delightful and rich musical experiences of other, divergent cultures. It was now time to hit the classroom... and, for the next three years, I had the wonderful experience of teaching fifth and sixth graders in the general music classroom, assisting the band director, teaching second graders through twelfth graders in private lessons, and juggling up to twenty additional "outside" students! If all that work and training and developing experience wasn't enough, I decided to take the crazy step of attempting doctoral work, and research is a new-found interest. May the journey continue...