After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2009, I spent eight years teaching and mentoring at all grade levels and encouraging personal and musical growth in my students. I have realized that, in order to best serve my students, I must continue to grow and expand my knowledge and skill set as an educator, a musician, and an individual.
Once I began actively studying music again as a graduate student at Northern Arizona University in 2017, my love for performing, especially on trombone, was renewed and, in fact, strengthened. Originally, I planned on completing my Masters coursework and returning to teach high school band and conduct with more experience and knowledge than before. However, I very quickly realized that I could not see a future for myself where I was no longer actively playing and performing. I realized that conducting a band was not enough for me anymore.
In my future, very simply, I hope to be better. I want to learn more; I want to practice more; I want to grow and become smarter and better so that I can be the best musician, teacher, and individual I can become. It fills me with great joy to watch my students and fellow musicians learn, grow, and understand more. I want to be able to serve them better by being able to provide them more and better context with my own personal knowledge and experiences.
