"Hello. Are you learning a music instrument? Do you want to learn the improvisational skills, music theory understanding, and technical skills to play within an ensemble? Do you want to learn a second instrument to inform your perspective as a musician, composer, or teacher? Are you learning a language? I can help.

Currently, I am a band director and elementary music teacher in the Boston Public Schools. Having worked with students of all ages, in a variety of school and private settings, and as a music department director at an international school in Qingdao, China, I know what it takes to get learners engaged and progressing. A rock/funk drummer at my core, I also regularly perform on piano, saxophone, voice, and bass guitar. Recently I have begun using more tech in my performance setup, and I often record backing tracks that I trigger while playing live.

I love to teach music, and working with students 1-1 is a highly rewarding experience. I can work with you to find out how to leverage your interests and the materials you have access to for music learning, whatever type of music learning that may be. My music reading experiences range from performing on timpani with the Berklee Symphony Orchestra, marching a sousaphone with the Boston College Marching Band in Yankee Stadium for a bowl game, performing on drum set with a jazz trio, to even playing steel drums in a 100-person touring ensemble.

This fall I will finish my Master’s in Education in Curriculum and Classroom Methods.

I have been lucky to teach a variety of learners in multiple types of ESL schools in the Boston area. After working with kindergarteners who are learning English, fifth-grader drummers learning English, and hundreds of adults from around the world, I can see that people are all just people...language can break down barriers. My professional career as a music educator has specialized in working with populations of learners who are learning English as a second language, and I have served as a leader of teachers in" less...