I began playing piano at age six and trumpet at nine. During my pre-college years, I involved myself with music constantly – accompanying for musicals, performing with jazz and wind ensembles as well as with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. After high school, I headed off to Berklee College of Music where I began my major in music education. While pursuing my degree, I developed a side interest in composing and arranging and signed up for as many classes as I could that offered some type of recording opportunity. One of these classes, a jingle writing course, helped me land my first real-world writing gig when I composed a theme for Gray Line Bus Tours of Boston. During the whole Gray Line learning experience, I noticed how attracted I was to developing musically creative ideas and then sharing them with others. In fact, I became hooked on this project-based way of learning and decided to extend that model to my teaching practice soon after leaving Berklee. I’ve been using this collaborative teaching and learning approach ever since.

Since my Berklee days, I’ve been fortunate to stay active as a pianist as well as teacher and composer. I’ve performed with with a variety of music groups in the Northeast and beyond and served as solo pianist and band member with two different cruise lines that traveled to the Caribbean and Hawaiian Islands. Much of that playing involved accompanying featured entertainers who performed a wide range of musical styles. I also gained additional playing and teaching experience through my own private study with renowned jazz and classical educators Charlie Banacos and Sophia Rosoff.

Prior to establishing my practice as an independent music educator in Rochester, New York, I taught music in the greater Boston area and in Providence, RI. I earned a Mastership Certification through the Gordon Institute for Music Learning and am a member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) as well as the New York Music Teachers Association (NYMTA). More recently, I completed continuing education coursework in Improvisation at Eastman School of Music.

In addition to my music credentials, I hold a bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Rochester. During my enrollment at UR, I had the good fortune to study and conduct research with Edward Deci and Richard Ryan - two of the world’s distinguished human motivation scholars.