Education:
University of California, San Diego, BA

University of Colorado, Boulder, MM

University of the Cumberlands, MAT

I earned a BA in Music Performance, a Master’s of Music Performance, and a Master of Arts in Teaching K–12 Integrated Music.

After grad school, I landed a performance job with the Honolulu Symphony and stayed in Hawaii for nearly a decade. I also played with the Royal Hawaiian Band, in jazz and pop groups, and with amazing local artists.

My stand partner connected me to the Music Director at Kamehameha Schools, who hired me to lead the bass section. That was my first classroom teaching role, and I loved it. After several great years there, I took a music teaching opportunity overseas, spending two years at Shanghai Community International School. I was hooked. In 2012, I returned to California, taught at Sacred Heart in Atherton, and joined College Prep in 2017.

Music is my passion, and I love exploring composers, genres, and styles that fall outside the typical school program. Off-the-beaten-path pieces are my favorite to teach. I’m a double bass player and love performing all sorts of music.

I also love the outdoors. Intraterm gives me the chance to plan trips to amazing destinations—Banff, the Puna District on the Big Island, and Zion National Park were recent favorites.

CPS students are capable and diligent. No matter how high I set the bar, they rise to meet it.

They’re also kind and thoughtful. As a music teacher, I often have students all four years. I’ve had several students thank me after every single class—for four years.

They’re curious and ambitious too. I’ve had students tackle complex composition projects, transpose parts on the fly, and retake Beginning Instruments multiple times just for fun. They do this not for grades, but because they genuinely enjoy learning music.

There are so many. Musical productions like Hadestown, A Chorus Line, Mamma Mia, Into the Woods, and The Drowsy Chaperone have been highlights.

Concert standouts include Zelda (arranged by students), Carnival of the Animals, Spain, and Piazzolla Cafe Tango. Beginning Instruments concerts are always unique. I also love the low-key end-of-term shows—like the time a student dressed as the Grinch and threw vegetables into the crowd as a riff on Dean Chabon’s candy toss.

I’m the founding CEO of the After School Music Academy, an avid soccer player, and a gold-medal-winning winemaker.