About
I am active as a freelancer, teacher, and clinician throughout Iowa (USA), maintaining a small private in-person and virtual studio. My flute story started at a young age; my grandma frequently played recordings of flutist Sir James Galway and we would listen together. When it came time to pick a band instrument in middle school, my only choice was the flute! I've been playing every since (almost 20 years now), and teaching for the last 10 years.
I received a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from the University of Northern Iowa, where I studied Dr. Angeleita Floyd. Some career highlights include world premieres of works by Michael Daugherty, Adam Schoenberg, and Daniel Bukvich, recording a CD with the UNI Wind Ensemble, performing second flute in the UNI Opera's performance of "Hansel and Gretyl," and performing as a piccolo soloist with the TAIKO-West African Drum Ensemble.
I love to travel and am fortunate to have some international playing and teaching experience, including a Northern Iowa Wind Symphony tour in Northern Italy and a semester abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece. A fun fact is that I have been on Greek TV and radio! Additionally, I have performed in masterclasses for William Bennett, Ian Clarke, Alena (Lugovkina) Walentin, Claudia Anderson, Jill Felber, and Hannah Leffler. My favorite chamber collaboration is with my dad (a singer-songwriter and guitarist); our flute and guitar duo is called the "Sweet Tones."
Outside of music, I find balance by pursuing passions in international relations and higher education. I am a past Global Ties US Emerging Leader for international exchange programming and am currently employed at Iowa State University, working with an undergraduate study away program.
My availability varies greatly week to week. Therefore, if you want to take a trial or regular lesson and don't see availability, please message me and I will work to find a time for you!
I am excited to work with you in an engaging and holistic teaching style. The music we create is informed by our personalities, experiences, and emotions. Music is an incredible opportunity to explore ourselves and the world while engaging with great repertoire and colleagues. It is very important to me that we co-create an environment that feels safe to learn, grow, and make mistakes.
Together, we will work on setting goals, progress markers, and celebrate the completion of these goals. My job is to be an honest sounding board, and I will hold you accountable to these goals in an empathetic and supportive way. I see my role as being here for you as a musical and personal resource; I want to help you grow and explore this wonderful instrument.
I expect students to come prepared to lessons, ask questions and think critically about their playing. In return, students can expect me to prepare lessons, pick exercises and repertoire that support your growth, and provide specific, targeted feedback to help you learn.
University of Northern Iowa, BM, Flute Performance; National Flute Association; Flute Center of NY Teacher Club; Ames Community Arts Council
I teach with several focus areas, including tone development, scales, technique, and repertoire. Together, we will work to build a curriculum based on your goals and level of incoming experience. Generally, I combine Rubank and Trevor Wye methods, etudes, and solo repertoire. You will also be required to learn and memorize scales.
The following is how lessons are structured, which mirrors the areas I focus on with my students:
- Tone: Each student will utilize the Trevor Wye Practice Book no. 1, regardless of experience. We start here because tone is the foundational aspect of playing. You want to sound lovely, and we, as listeners, want to hear a lovely flute sound!
- Scales: We must learn to walk before we can run, and scales are how we do that. Scales are the foundational skill you will use to build technique.
- Technique: You will learn finger patterns, articulation exercises, and more that will challenge you to grow!
- Etudes: You will learn new etudes weekly to work through a specific idea or technique. These will be progressive and an opportunity to build technique, artistic interpretation, confidence, and sight-reading abilities.
- Repertoire: You will learn major flute repertoire from various musical periods and styles. You will become familiar with the history and great canon of flute music by studying and engaging with these pieces. You will also perform these pieces and gain confidence in sharing your art with loved ones.