I first began teaching during graduate school, when I took on a small group of piano students in my parents' living room. Over the course of four-and-and-half years, my voice and piano studio grew from three to forty students as young as five and as old as seventy. I also had the opportunity to teach Literature and Drama at a private elementary/middle school for one year. While worthwhile and fun, my experience in the classroom helped me realize that I prefer working with students in a private lesson setting, as it allows me to understand their personalities and preferred learning methods. One-on-one, I am also able to get to know the students in such a way that they feel comfortable asking questions and being themselves throughout the learning process.

My formal education and training are in music, specifically classical singing, and I hold a B.A. in Music from Gettysburg College, and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from University of Wisconsin-Madison. While at Gettysburg College, I acted as a tutor for Music Theory I and II students. I also took a number of literature and creative writing courses, along with seven semesters of German and a semester studying Music and German in Vienna, Austria. My love of reading, writing, and languages stays with me, and I still enjoy writing short stories and blogs, reading fictional novels, and brushing up on my German and French skills via Duolingo.

While my career is mainly focused in music and private teaching, I have a strong background in administrative and publicity work. As an organization nerd, I revel in arranging paperwork, color-coding calendars, and creating spreadsheets. In my free time, I enjoy cooking healthy meals, baking not so healthy treats, and spending time with friends and family.