I am an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Northern Colorado, where I serve as faculty advisor for our Collegiate NAfME chapter. I earned a Ph.D. in Music Education from The Pennsylvania State University. I also have a B.S. in Music Education and an M.M. in Music Education, both from West Virginia University. Before entering higher education I was a public school music educator for 11 years, most of them spent teaching middle school band and general music.

At UNC I teach undergraduate courses throughout the curriculum–from Introduction to Music Education through Student Teaching Seminar–focused on applying the theory and practice of music teaching and learning in engaging and purposeful ways. I provide students opportunities to explore and examine diverse perspectives of music education; prepare them to teach using pedagogies that promote musical development, musical independence, and lifelong music-making; and empower them to create inclusive music learning environments that welcome and celebrate all students and align with the various manners in which people interact with music. Throughout coursework students are engaged in cycles of preparation, practice, and reflection to develop music teacher skills and knowledge, and are encouraged to collaborate to build community within our program and strong peer networks to guide them as they transition from preservice  to inservice teachers.  I also teach online asynchronous project-based graduate courses in research in music education and foundations of music education.

My scholarship is varied as I have many interests and curiosities. However, my research largely centers on music teacher mentoring and professional development. I have conducted research on the status of mentoring programs, mentoring relationships, multiple mentor networks, peer mentoring for preservice teachers, and mentor identification, selection, preparation, and development. I am also interested in promoting ungrading practices, teacher wellness, and developing more mindful music classrooms and spaces.

I have numerous state, national, and international conference presentations on topics including sound before sight pedagogies, creativity and improvisation in instrumental music, teacher wellness, ungrading practices, goal-setting, mindfulness, effective modeling strategies, presence, recruiting and retaining students, student practice habits, and teaching music with autoimmune disease and chronic illness. 

My active memberships include the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA), Instrumental Music Teacher Educators (IMTE), and Society for Music Teacher Educators (SMTE). I also serve on the Editorial Board of the Music Educators Journal, Advisory Committee for Teaching Music magazine, and as CMEA Research Chair. Past service includes co-facilitator of the SMTE Music Teacher Educators: Recruitment, Preparation, and Professional Development Areas of Strategic Planning and Action (ASPA) (2021 – 2025), and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Music Educators Journal (2018 – 2022).

Click here for my current Curriculum Vitae

I’m always happy to talk about my teaching, research, and scholarship, so reach out here.