“I have always seen educating as an essential part of my being an artist. Had it not been for the thriving music education system I was brought up in, I would not be where I am today. Music has the power to change lives, and my goal as educator is to share that power with others. ”
My Story
My earliest memory of live music is of a community engagement performance by the local high school jazz band at my elementary school. I don’t remember much about what they played, but I still vividly remember the exhilaration of seeing live jazz performed for the first time. This performance had a profound effect on me, and started me on my path to becoming a musician.
My career as an educator began at age 15 with my first private students, and I have been continuously teaching in various settings ever since. From teaching college students as a faculty member at Fordham University, to teaching young beginners at the Bloomingdale School of Music, I have found that I learn as much from my students as they learn form me. As a Jazz Artist Diploma candidate at The Juilliard School, I developed and led community engagement workshops in schools throughout NYC, across the US, and around the world. This work has become an important part of my work as an educator since my graduation in 2013. On behalf of Juilliard and through my own programs, I have had the opportunity to touch the lives of hundreds of New York City students, and introduced jazz music to audiences around the world.
I have always seen educating as an essential part of my being an artist. Had it not been for the thriving music education system I was brought up in, I would not be where I am today. Music has the power to change lives, and my goal as educator is to share that power with others.
