From a young age I was always  looking for people to teach.

I asked my classmates if I could help them with the latest assignment during recess, and I forced my siblings to come into my "school" (a transformed bedroom) so that I could teach them any and everything. I started a summer camp in my garage for kids in the neighborhood as a fun business venture when I was thirteen. Thankfully my family still loves me.

Then at twelve, I found classical music.

Over the next fifteen years I practiced a lot, got a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, and became a professional clarinetist teaching at Nazareth College, Syracuse University and Virginia Commonwealth University in addition to performing around the world. I presented about teaching & learning at a lot of conferences, and played in many orchestral, new music and chamber music concerts.

As a faculty member, I noticed something: students didn’t have the soft skills they needed to succeed in college and life.

And I wanted to change that. So, I designed and proposed a course called “The Creative Habit” to help students develop these skills–overcoming failure, beating overwhelm, learning to express what they care about, time management and the list goes on. Teaching that class was validation of something I had held silently for many years: I loved teaching music but what I loved more was helping students believe in their ability to succeed and giving them the tools to do it.

Around 2020 things took an unexpected turn for all of us; I was no exception.

In an attempt to meet the moment, I became the Co-Executive Director of the Digital Clarinet Academy and Music360, digital education platforms that are still going strong with 15k+ followers and 200+ events, courses and programs. Our mission is to break down barriers to access and long-held limitations in music education.

Things were going pretty smoothly, but in 2021, my husband got an incredible opportunity In San Francisco, CA. I had never lived west of Chicago but, sure! Moving to California it was. Crazily, I commuted to Richmond, VA for the 2021–22 academic year.

But one day while fighting jet lag, an email notification caught my eye.

There was a job as the Digital Content & Social Media Specialist open at Cal Performances, the music, dance and theater presenter at the University of California, Berkeley. I deleted it. And then I shook my phone to undelete it. After a few interviews, I was able to leverage many old and new skills to get that job.

Although being part of a marketing team was new, the work was very familiar: get people excited about the performing arts.

And so my obsession with digital content continued. I began teaching marketing & digital content at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and started helping ensembles, musicians and other creatives build their digital presence and career with a personal and strategic approach.

That brings us to now.

My days are often a fun flip flop between creating digital content, figuring out how to make technology work on the back end, hosting workshops, teaching, and maybe even playing some scales. I love thinking strategically and creating and executing plans. I love finding creative ways to teach people how to believe in their ability to learn, inspiring them to change their mind about what they’re capable of. I still teach and perform as a clarinetist when the moment is right.

And that brings me to you!

Let’s chat about how we can work together to make the world a better place, how I can help you with your next project, or how I can ignite your classroom or group.