I am a graduate of Kalamazoo College, where I earned a dual-degree BA in music & psychology in 2009, and Teachers College Columbia University, where I earned my EdM in music education in 2011. I teach upright bass, bass guitar, and guitar, and my number one goal is to make you feel as though your interests for your music study are always kept in mind as we work together. I like to incorporate composition and creativity into private lessons in addition to playing songs and repertoire, and believe there is something of musical value in every song or piece.

Learning music is a challenge that I face with pleasure, passion and persistence. While doing so, I’ve learned to face other life challenges as well. For me, music is a way of life.

Currently, I play regularly with three different groups. In doing so, I get to play blues, rock & roll, and jazz. At shows you may see me playing electric bass, upright bass, or keyboards depending on the night. During the week I teach lessons to a wide range of ages and abilities.

Playing music quickly became my passion when I started playing at 15 years old. The electric bass was my first instrument, but guitar, drums and keyboards promptly followed. During these early years, I was playing with anyone in my small town who knew how to play at a venue which allowed young musicians.

There were many years of playing for fun between those days and when I first decided to make music a bigger part of my life. My initial step was to return to college to study electronic music and...