It has been my pleasure to make music with young people for the past 25 years, and I am blessed with the privilege of teaching in my third year at IWIA! I am a native Hoosier, having grown up in Madison, Indiana in the beautiful, hilly Ohio River Valley. I was fortunate to have amazing public school music teachers who fostered my love of performing and guided me toward a career in music. I graduated in 1986 with a degree in Music Education from Butler University in Indianapolis (yes, THAT Butler University, the small school with the Cinderella basketball team who fell to Duke by one possession in the 2010 NCAA Championship Tournament...then experienced 18% shooting in the 2011 Championship vs. UConn...grrrr...) and have taught music, band, and choir in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. I also served as a missionary teacher for 3 years on the remote Pacific island of Saipan.
I have 3 beautiful daughters, with the 2 youngest attending IWIA. My girls and I live in Fayetteville on a small farm with horses, goats, dogs, and cats. I play clarinet professionally with the Atlanta Southwind Quintet, and perform regularly with the Peachtree Wind Ensemble. As a single working mom, I don't have much free time, but I do enjoy time spent with family, church activities, Butler basketball games, and caring for our animals.
I subscribe to Carl Orff's approach to music education, which allows children to experience music on all levels: singing, playing instruments, and moving. I teach every class with this quote in mind: