A strong music education provides students of all ages with cultural and historical understanding, a dynamic and unique means of expression, and the opportunity to communicate our shared humanity through storytelling. I believe in making excellent musical experiences ACCESSIBLE to all students, especially for those from traditionally underrepresented communities. Through music lessons, I equip students with AUTHENTIC artistry, balance, creativity, and fun. As a dear mentor once told me, “laughter lubricates learning.”

My ultimate goal is empowering and encouraging students to make music ALIVE and applicable in their lives. Regardless of their career paths as adults, I want my students to acquire life-long skills that allow them to analyze, consume, support, and engage with art in their communities.

As a mentor in their lives, I devote a portion of every lesson to discussing my students’ progress in professional and personal goals with helpful documentation in their very own flute journal. My lessons provide students with plenty of chances to explore and embody the music beyond the notes. As I provide constructive feedback, guidance, and resources from my own years of flute development, my students regularly engage in research, creative writing, and/or discussions to identify technical challenges, effective solutions, historical context and narrative arcs in their musical pieces. Learning through intentional listening is a core aspect of music lessons. Besides keeping track of a “practice log” in their journal, students must complete an active “listening log” every week, reporting a general analysis, what pieces they consumed, how they engaged with the works (i.e. Live concerts, Spotify, YouTube, etc.), and why they choose the particular works (purpose).

Both classical and contemporary music students benefit from improvisation, transcribing, and ear training exercises, strengthening their auditory (listening) abilities. From infamous “drop-the-needle” quizzes to addictive “Simon Says” copycat memory games, students test their memory and boost their brain power, competing against themselves and other studio members for the top score and bragging rights! By embedding kinesthetic (movement) learning into musical exercises such as squatting on stability balls, planking with long tones, clapping rhythms, or playing while walking, students develop body awareness and coordination. Piano training, music theory charts, tuner/metronome apps, and food diagrams also help students visualize and verbalize core concepts. For example, they learn rhythms by creating their own imaginary picnic menu with items like “huc-kle-ber-ry pies” and “piz-za cas–se-roles”. These various teaching methods provide me with an individualized understanding of all students, useful for student assessment and lesson plan remediation. As I build relationships with all students, my goal is pushing them to their greatest musical potential while still making the curriculum relevant and enjoyable.