I hold bachelor's and master's degrees in music composition from Temple University and a PhD. from Durham University in the UK, also in composition. I am active as a composer of contemporary classical music as well as an arranger of some popular songs. I have been a teacher of music for over 30 years, covering subjects such as composition, theory, ear training, music technology, voice, choir, handbell choir, and musical theater.

For me, music and teaching are both fundamentally about communication. Music is widely seen as a universal language, and at this point in history, people have unprecedented and universal access to music through recordings via the internet and numerous other channels. I feel the emotional, communicative power of music very deeply, and I hope that through my teaching I can communicate to my students ideas and concepts that will allow them to hear more in music that they listen to, feel more in music that they perform, and communicate more in music that they compose.