Being a part of my students’ growing process inspires me every day. In teaching the Performing Arts, I have the opportunity to see students come out of their shells, while they are building confidence and various other skills that last a lifetime. I see the molding process from the beginning and then can see it evolve to the stage. I see how it can change peoples’ lives, even if just for a moment in time.

My family inspires me. I come from a family of educators. I have two sisters and all three of us teach the Performing Arts from Elementary, to Middle, to High School. We collaborate often. My being the youngest of the family, I have been mentored for years and am so grateful. When I observe what my sisters are doing with their students and content area, I see there is no ceiling with creativity and that ignites me to reach for better. My parents are the most supportive people I know. They show up to every showcase with countless decorations, sound equipment, etc. They are behind my work ethic, the reason I try harder, and why I am up for any challenge.

The Henderson faculty, administration, and community always inspire me with their endless support of me and the Performing Arts program.

My professional music career outside of Henderson inspires me to bring an elevated and industry-creative environment to the classroom. I infiltrate different performance techniques and music business to Henderson students.

I had the wonderful opportunity to lead, create, and build the Performing Arts Program for Grades 6-8 in 2017 and am still so grateful for that opportunity. Through the last 4 years, the program grew from about 75 students to 175 students in Chorus, Dance, and Musical Theatre. Performances that began in our cafeteria at Henderson, blossomed into major Winter and Spring productions at F.A.U.’s Barry Kaye Auditorium with audiences of almost one thousand people. I have created my own curriculum for Chorus, Dance and Musical Theatre from 2017-Present. I am the Troupe Director for our Junior Thespian Theatre Club. I have coordinated each District and State Competition for students to showcase their talents and compete in these various festivals. I have also collaborated with Mrs. Francani Cimino (Elementary Performing Arts Teacher) in creating original scripts for our school’s Thanksgiving Feast each year. Through the various stages of this pandemic, Mrs. Francani Cimino and I led our program in completing and carrying out Virtual Performance Showcases so that students were just as involved, as they collaborated and performed from their hearts, making computer screens come to life. Parents and faculty received virtual links to watch performances so that they still could be an audience and watch their fantastic children perform even when our world was facing tremendous circumstances. I collaborated with educators and coaches at F.A.U. on various occasions! My Dance students performed with the F.A.U. Dance Team at the season opener. Also, my Musical Theatre students attended a workshop with the Theatre Lab at F.A.U. called “Pages,” and were able to write stories, finishing a play in progress that was going to be performed at F.A.U. I think it is also important to note as a music teacher, I am still professionally practicing my own craft and owning/running my own record label. I create and release my own music and collaborate with other professional musicians in the industry. In March 2021, I wrote and released a song entitled, “I’m More.” I partnered with VH1’s Save the Music Foundation and the proceeds from the song went to this organization. This foundation is a nonprofit organization that restores music programs in schools and develops long-term plans to maintain and sustain music programs by providing various resources and services. I bring the skills I developed in my own experiences in the music industry, into the classroom to lead my students to success.

After obtaining my Master’s Degree in Music and Music Education from Columbia University/NYC, I was in the performing arena and living in Nashville, TN. I was recording, performing, songwriting, and collaborating, when I came upon the opportunity to develop a Performing Arts Program at A.D. Henderson. At that time, Middle School did not have a Music program. My vision was to nurture Middle School students in the content areas of Chorus, Dance, and Musical Theatre. In my research of A.D. Henderson, I quickly discovered that this was an exemplary, elevated, academic, high-performing school with students who can achieve just about anything. It was an honor to get on board to be a part of this community and help students develop skills that last a lifetime through music. This not only helped improve the overall culture of the school, which was already excellent, but it also gave roots to a program that evolved and still continues to grow. The program began at 75 students and quickly doubled. Students were able to perform in different spaces including our very own cafeteria and also on larger stages, like Barry Kaye, where almost one thousand people watched our students perform. I have seen life-changing experiences happen right in my classroom. I have seen students conquer their fears, discover talents/skills, support each other, build relationships/friendships through music, believe in one another, and most importantly believe in themselves. Our Music Program will continue to enhance our students’ lives with positivity and excitement.

I love being a teacher. I feel grateful every day to be in this position at this very school. I still feel so thankful to have the opportunity to build this Performing Arts Program. It has been a true honor to teach Performing Arts to Henderson students, and also to be on this journey with them as they grow as individuals. In this light, I want to share with you some of the creative performances that spirited us through one of the most trying times of mankind:

SPRING SHOWCASE 2021:

http://bit.ly/VirtualSpringShowcase2021

WINTER SHOWCASE 2020:

https://bit.ly/WINTERSHOWCASE2020

SPRING SHOWCASE 2020:

https://bit.ly/VirtualMiddleSchoolSpringShowcase2020