My mother chose the piano for me when I was five.

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As I grew older, I came to understand something that has shaped everything since: there are no shortcuts to the skills required for self-expression. You have to build them. That belief is at the center of how I teach — every student has an innate musical ability waiting to be found, and my work is helping them build the foundation to express their own voice.

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I've been teaching for over twenty years. I hold a Master of Arts in Music and Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where I also serve as an applied piano and trombone teacher. This fall I begin my Doctor of Musical Arts at Boston University, where my research explores how rhythm and jazz syllables can strengthen language learning in children.

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I serve as Treasurer on the MTAC Northern San Diego District Board, and I'm a certified Steinway & Sons Teacher and Educational Partner, named Teacher of the Year in 2016 and 2017. I've taught at the Scholars Academy for the Gifted & Artistically Elite, United Community Charter School, and the British International School, collaborating with classroom teachers to design interdisciplinary curricula. My students consistently earn superior ratings at festivals and evaluations — a 100% success rate.

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I'm also a mother of two daughters, and that has made me a better teacher than any degree could. I know what a weeknight actually looks like — the homework, the practice that didn't happen, the kid who's had a hard day. I know what families need, because I'm living it too.

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One parent once described my lessons as patient and tough and caring, and said the balance of all three is why her kids are thriving. Another said I'm not there to entertain her children — I'm there to teach them, in a caring way and with real expectations.

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That's exactly right. Warm, but we work. And kids rise to it.