WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A STUDENT?
I grew up in Waterford and graduated from Waterford High School. Aside from obviously being in all of the musical groups I could get myself into, I was in Forensics, Science Olympiad, Knowledge Masters Open team, and AFS club (we planned and implemented fun outings for the foreign exchange students from other countries who went to our school). My favorite subject in school was definitely science - I really loved chemistry and physics. I also enjoyed Geometry and Calculus. I took 5 years of French, because the teacher was amazing. When it was time to go to college, I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do. I did not have a close relationship with my school band director, so I thought about going to school to become a meteorologist or a science teacher, but I really just couldn’t handle the thought of not having music as a major focus in my life. Eventually, thanks to a strong connection I had made through my outside of school music experiences, I found my way to music education at UW-Whitewater. I loved learning to become a music teacher, and knew immediately I found where I needed to be. I went on to get my masters degree in Conducting, as I wanted to dig into even more ways to help my students MAKE MUSIC, rather than just playing notes on the page. Music is so much deeper than the actual notation on the piece of music - I wanted to be able to guide musicians to express themselves through the music. I spent time out in the state of Oregon learning from some of the best composers and conductors in the world at the American Band College through Southern Oregon University. This program was perfect, as each student takes an entrance exam, and the results of each individual’s exam guides their individualized study for the next 3 years. I got to work on all of my areas of musical weakness, which has impacted my teaching abilities greatly! I have also taken classes from Juilliard to enhance my musicianship and teaching skills. 
( click HERE to learn more)