I grew up in Connecticut, where I learned flute in 4th grade, guitar in 6th grade, and saxophone in high school.  I knew by 6th grade that I would major in music, and although I toyed with other ideas like majoring in English, Special Ed., or World Languages, there was never any real debate--music was always it!  Like most people, I've had failures and successes along the way;  I've lost some auditions and competitions, but I've won many of them, too.  Either way, I've learned that it always pays to put yourself out there and try:  even when I've lost, the process of setting a goal and working toward it has always helped me be a better musician.  Some successes I'm very proud of are having been chosen for the Connecticut All-State Wind Ensemble in 11th grade and being named co-principal in the Connecticut All-State Orchestra in 12th grade.  After high school, I attended Queens College, where I was fortunate to meet and play with lots of great musicians and to study with great teachers.  One of the most exciting things in my musical life was winning the annual Concerto Competition in my junior year at Queens College, and playing Ballade for Flute and Orchestra by Frank Martin with the QC Orchestra.  I was fortunate to continue my musical education by doing graduate work at Columbia University and Hartt School of Music, where I also had many great teachers.

 

My teaching covers almost every situation imaginable, from PreK to adults, from urban to rural schools, and from private teaching to public school.  I've taught in Bayside, Queens; Poultney, Vt.; Middlebury, Vt.; and now New Jersey. In the Middlebury School District, part of my job was to create a band program in a school that didn't have one. My first band there had seven students, and we grew over time to a larger ensemble. The teachers in the Middlebury area and I also created a band festival for the bands in our regional district, which took place at Middlebury College each spring. 

 

I love my job at Hillside School, and the wonderful students we have here!  I love playing and teaching all the different instruments, and just like my students, I enjoy taking home different ones to practice and keep in shape on.  I also have a private flute studio, and I enjoy helping my flute students achieve their goals; they have a high success rate of passing auditions for New Jersey Youth Symphony, Central Jersey Region Band, and their school wind ensembles.  My greatest passion in life is learning!  I've had the privilege of continuing my chamber music studies at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and being accepted as a performer in a Master Class at Curtis; I also recently returned to Hartt School for "refresher" classes in conducting and percussion.  I always need to have a project of some kind:  in Vermont I played chamber music and recorded a CD of flute duets with a colleague; currently, I play as part of a chamber ensemble in the greater Philadelphia area; and I have served on the board of the New Jersey Flute Society, helping to plan concerts and workshops.   My other great passion is traveling. Over the years my husband and I have been very lucky to travel to Portland, Oregon; Seattle, WA; Montreal, QC (my favorite city, where we've been to the Montreal Jazz Festival several times); Japan; and Italy.  When I'm not doing all of those things, I enjoy the peace and quiet of working in my garden.