My Biography

I am currently an instrumental music education major at Middle Tennessee State University. I hope to be student teaching next fall in the Nashville and Franklin areas and am very close to finishing my course work. I am researching graduate programs for clarinet performance and hope to find a great school.

I am originally from Minnesota, and moved around quite a bit as my dad found different jobs and my mother wanted to be closer to her family. When I was 5 we settled where we live now in Tennessee. I had great music teachers from the beginning of my public school career, which had such a positive influence on my desire to pursue music. In kindergarten I was part of the Christmas play and sung with my class. I was in choir in elementary school and loved it. In middle school I decided to play an instrument and choose the clarinet because that's what my best friend at the time put down. Everyone that wanted to be in band had to meet in the cafeteria to take a listening test, that checked our aural skills and if we were suited to the instrument of our choice. I continued to participate in both choir and band until we had to choose between them in middle school. I picked the clarinet.  I did mid-state and all-state, all the regional try-outs and festivals that I could because I really enjoyed them. In high school I was one of the top clarinet players. I attended a very good high school that was performing arts friendly. We did not have a competitive high school marching band and were able to focus on symphonic music. Our program gave more concerts during the school year than other schools in the area, that did compete. For a high school band program, we were at the level of a moderately good college band. Our school had the most progressive music program in the area. I had two wonderful directors who helped to shape me into the musician that I am today. It wasn't until I graduated from high school that I realized that I really did love being a teacher and I had been doing just that for most of my life. 

I started my collegiate career at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, but soon realized that their program was the exact opposite of what I needed. The following year I transfered to MTSU and I couldn't be more pleased with the program. Not that there aren't the bad with the good, but the benefits from this program far out weigh anything that is negative. I have taught master classes and band camps since I started college and have enjoyed every teaching experience. 

I have also worked with Curb Youth Symphony, for 3 years, which is part of Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music pre-college program. I currently work with the MTSU symphony orchestra as an assistant and have been here for 4 years. I just completed my senior recital which was a testament to the fact that hard work does pay off and as long as you think you can do it, you will.