I grew up in a family of teachers who inspired me to pursue teaching. I knew I wanted to be an educator before I knew what it was that I wanted to teach. In high school, I loved my AP English and AP History teachers, and I remember considering a teaching career in one of those areas.
Music had always been very important to me, though, and playing the violin was something I did pretty well. I participated in several PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educator Association) festivals, and those experiences were transformational. I decided I wanted to teach others to learn to play an instrument so they could have similar experiences. As a senior in high school, I found my first private student, and watching her grow and learn really confirmed that I wanted to teach music.
I teach high school orchestra in the North Allegheny School District in Wexford, PA. We have a large program, and I am able to really specialize and teach several sections of string orchestra, at many levels, throughout the day. I love my high school kids, and I love spending every day with them.
I started my career in the Beaver Area School District, teaching strings from grades 4-12. I loved that I would see my students grow over the course of many years, and it was fun to see every level of student in one day; I taught many incredibly talented high school kids in the morning and ended with 4th graders, who were excited about learning to pluck the strings and hold the bow for the first time.
Over the years, I’ve also taught at several summer music camps, including camps at Florida State University and Carnegie Mellon University.
My students are the reason I am still in the field of education. Seeing the same kids over the course of 9-12 grade allows me to really watch them grow not only as musicians but also just as human beings. Watching a student finally figure out how to use vibrato is always exciting to me. Taking students to PMEA festivals, coaching them through audition preparation, and watching them do well is always rewarding. I love sharing with my students the process of taking a piece of music from its very beginnings to being ready for a performance. I love the laughter, the wrong notes, the lessons about rhythm, intonation, and musical expression along the way.
I also feel a responsibility to help them to work through any challenges, to be ready to mentor them as they make decisions about college, to be there to support them in so many ways. A parent once told me, “My daughters have so much respect for you, but they also love you so much.” I’ve thought about that statement so many times over the years. I try to offer my students respect and love as well. I have high expectations for my students in class, but I am there to help them, love them, and support them.
For my students, I hope that my students grow to be supporters of the arts. I hope they maintain their orchestra friendships and remember the magic of making music together. I hope they encourage their own children to play an instrument, support them in their practice when it’s hard, and push them to play music at a high level like they did in high school.
For our society, I hope for more equitable opportunities for access to music education. So many schools do not value music programs. So many more schools lack orchestra programs, and many students never get the opportunity to play a string instrument. While we are in quarantine at the moment, it’s music, art, and exercise that’s getting us through! I hope people notice that.