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BMA, DePauw University, Piano MA, The University of Sheffield, Electroacoustic Composition MFA, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Electroacoustic Composition
2018 - Grant for the Arts, Arts Council England £4531 2018 - Public Engagement Grant, The University of Sheffield £840 2018 - Pietrie Watson Exhibition Grant, The university of Sheffield £750 2017 - International Scholarship, The University of Sheffield 2015 - 2017 - Composition Fellowship Scholarship, Vermont College of Fine Arts
I'm a composer and pianist with a passion for teaching music. Music has taken me all over the world! Recently, I moved back from the UK where I worked on an MA in composition at the University of Sheffield. From 2010 - 2013 I worked as the Music Director at Tamakwa, a children's summer camp in Ontario, Canada. In NYC I was the Resident Sound Designer for Wide Eyed Productions, where I designed sound for off-Broadway and downtown theatre plays. My compositions have been premiered in the US, UK, and Ghana. I am currently working on creating a new music collective in Spokane, WA.
My teaching experience began in my undergraduate days, where I taught private lessons part-time. Since then, I have taught private lessons on and off. I encourage students to listen to all types of music. I like to emphasize that Western classical music is just one of many around the world. I've found that a combination of classical and funk, for example, can go a long way in helping students enjoy piano and motivate them to practice and continue to learn. I encourage students to enter competitions as well as work on composing their own original material. I will also help in organizing recitals around town with an emphasis on community service. Recitals may be held at an assisted living home, for example, where students are able to accomplish a performance and feel good about their work while also giving back to their community. I welcome students ages 15 and up!
For beginning students I focus on getting students familiar with the size of the piano. I invite students to create their own game-like improvisations in lessons and show them how to do this on their own. Once comfortable with the topography of the piano, lessons become a combination of music theory and improvisation. Eventually, this leads to reading music and solo repertoire. We will be able to tailor the balance between composition, improvisation, and straight-ahead piano lessons depending on student interest.
Nothing is more exciting to me than seeing a student realize the potentiality of the piano! I encourage students to develop a curiosity so that the piano is not an intimidating object, but rather a place full of creative potential. In this way, students are always looking for cool sounds they can make or exciting jumps from one end of the piano to the other! A key factor in instilling this curiosity, is trying to find out what inspires students. I can successfully tailor my instruction to students by incorporating various music genres, communication styles, and improvisation into the lesson. I encourage students to look at their short-term and long-term accomplishments in order to feel good about their progress.