So glad you stopped in to get to know me better. Here a little background on me. I always knew I wanted to be a music teacher/musician. I started music very early (age of 3) because my mother was a piano teacher and she sat me down at the piano as soon as I knew my a-b-c's. When I was in 3rd grade at West Genesee, my parents got me started on violin, which I played all through elementary and middle school. During that time, I also was very active with the middle school musicals as well as the local community theater. In addition to being a instrumentalist, I love to sing and be on stage, and have been in choruses my whole life. In 9th grade, we moved to Jordan-Elbridge, and because there was no orchestra in the district, I switched to percussion as it most matched my knowledge from years of playing piano. While in high school, I participated in the school's jazz band, marching band, concert band, jazz choir, musicals, and concert choir. Outside of the school during this time, I also was a member of both the Patriots Winterguard as well as the Patriots Drum and Bugle Corps.

I attended SUNY Potsdam Crane School of Music from 1995-1998 as a percussion major where I earned my Bachelors in Music Education. During this time, I also participated in the Cadets and Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps during the summers.

Upon graduation, I began teaching as a long-term sub in the spring of 1999. In the fall of 1999 I started teaching full time as a high school band director. In 2001, I was awarded a Syracuse University Marching Band Assistantship where I completed my Masters in Music Education in 2003 while working for the university band department.

In 2003, I started working at the elementary/middle school level in Clyde-Savannah. Although I loved the district and the wonderful students, I wanted to be closer to home, and was very excited when an opening in Phoenix came up in 2006. I was thrilled to be offered the position of beginning band teacher, and have been with the district ever since.

As a musician, I was active with the Central Winds Wind Ensemble as a percussionist for nearly 20 years. I currently perform and compete as a bagpiper with the Emerald Pipe Band.