My story

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about music. This passion has taken shape in countless ways throughout my life (learning my times tables to song, creating hundreds of mixtapes as a teen, memorizing as much music as I could from any genre I could think of), but is largely attributed to my mom. She noticed something in me, as a young girl, and with her mother’s intuition said to my dad, “I think we’ve got to put this girl in voice lessons.” I’m forever grateful that she helped cultivate the love of music in my life when I couldn’t see it for myself.

 

I received a Bachelor of Education from York University alongside a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English with a Minor in Music (Vocal Performance). Soon after, I pursued my Master of Education in Music Education at the University of British Columbia. Music has opened up the door to sing with top tier choirs, record albums, and meet life-long friends; it has given me beautiful opportunities to travel while going on musical tours through Western Canada, Europe, and the United States – most notably, the Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

 

Over the years, my performing and teaching experiences have allowed me to teach workshops, perform at special events, sing in and conduct choirs and small ensembles. It has given me the foundation to lead worship at church, and even meet my husband – recording a Christmas album is where we met!

 

Alongside my background as a certified teacher, these varied experiences have given me a strong foundation from which to teach. They help me to differentiate my teaching according to the needs and goals of each one of my students. My desire, as a teacher, is to do what has been done for me: engage hearts and minds to reach musical goals with confidence.

 

During our lesson times, my students and I work collaboratively to identify musical goals and ensure our time together is set up to help them succeed. Beyond the musicianship skills I teach, my aim is to help students feel safe and comfortable; for students to grow in their self -esteem and self-confidence; and, to fall in love with music.

 

I love teaching because it gives me the unique opportunity of opening a whole new world to students. The most rewarding part of teaching is having a concept “click” with a student or bearing witness to that moment where students realize they can do something they never thought possible. I had the privilege of growing up musically in environments where I felt safe and cared for. This transformed the way I thought, learned, and experienced the world. It made me want to do the same for others – make a positive difference in my community through music.