Work Samples

 My work as a teaching artist began with a private school partnership where I taught elementary age students how to find their voice, melodically and confidently, by bridging music with social-emotional learning. I’ve also had residencies with art organizations where each week students are taught core values and create performances at the end of the week based on what they learned. The process consisted of group discussions, brainstorming, songwriting, co-creating scripts, producing music on pro-tools, and rehearsing for the weekly performance. I’ve also created a one-woman performance especially made for women’s history month showcasing the contributions that female artists made throughout American music history. Additionally, I also was a music educator in Columbus City Schools for several years; teaching in CCS is where I began to create lessons based on expertise in my professional artist career, and tieing it into Ohio learning standards and curriculum.

At 14 years old, I knew that I wanted to make an impact in students’ lives, just like my former MS & HS music teacher, Dr. Betty Hill. She was the type of educator to see the potential in a student’s gifts and/or talents, and challenge them to develop artistic excellence. Once I became an educator, one of the reasons that drew me to teaching was the desire to share my passion for performing arts. The blessing in sharing passion as an educator is that an educator can help others develop their thirst for knowledge and love for learning. I have an opportunity to expose students to new and fascinating ideas, perspectives, subjects, ways of thinking, and much more.

How I envision the role of the artist in an educational setting is by utilizing my purpose to create an inspirational impact in different communities bridging education and performing arts. Also, by welcoming change and adaptability in the educational setting. It’s important to discuss and showcase how creating, and co-creating, art should be fluid, and challenge students' willingness to embrace uncertainty. Lastly, I envision that an artist in an educational setting can bring many benefits to the work such as cultural, social, economical, and even environmental that could enhance learning on a greater scale.

How I involve and ensure commitments from students in creative activities is by first inspiring and affirming them and their creative abilities. I assist in co-creating with students’ an artist statement that helps remind them that creativity exists in all of us, and that there is purpose to everything that we do or create. Students’ are then led to create affirmations for themselves; focusing on their strengths and how that can contribute to the outcome of the lesson, and their future success. I also create an environment that is open to out-of-the-box thinking, independent problem solving, hands-on, unconventional learning, and student-led support. I firmly believe that these things help empower students to be more confident in themselves and committed to executing creative excellence.