About the Teacher
If there is anything I love as much as making music, it’s teaching others about music. A native of the Pacific Northwest, I taught my first piano lesson to a family friend when I was just 14 years old, which was enough to convince me that teaching was the career for me! Since then, I’ve spent time as a special education classroom teacher, college piano faculty, private instructor, and program director, all while living in New York and Massachusetts. In 2019 my husband and I (and our cat Lina) moved to Southeast Portland so we could be close to our families. I became a full-time private studio teacher, and it’s been the best job ever.
In addition to running my private studio, I am the Membership Chair of the Oregon Music Teachers Association, member of the Repertoire Committee for the OMTA Syllabus Program, and the Past President of the East Portland District Music Teachers Association. I’m a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, and I regularly adjudicate and give guest lectures throughout the region. I’m also a past Tholen Fellow with Portland Piano International, and I perform solo and chamber recitals a few times throughout the year.
Before moving to Portland in 2019, I was adjunct teaching faculty at Smith College and Bay Path University, and teaching assistant for piano and aural skills at University of Massachusetts Amherst. I was the director of the Adaptive Music Program at Community Music School of Springfield. My bachelor’s of music is from Pacific Lutheran University, and I have a master’s of science in teaching from Fordham University and a master’s of music from University of Massachusetts Amherst. Outside of music, I keep busy with training for and competing in triathlons, hiking with family, cooking, and gardening.
I welcome students of all ages and levels; approximately half of my students are school-aged, and the other half are adults, mostly working professionals. I primarily teach classical repertoire, though a variety of styles are explored at the foundational level. My students are passionate music lovers who are eager to learn.