My approach is to “gamify music learning.” I work with parents, who are a child’s most important teacher, to help them make practice fun while developing the discipline and character that piano lessons are known to inspire. I use Better Practice App, an easy to use lesson manager and practice tool which makes practice enjoyable as students can see their progress over time and organize their practice to achieve the maximum benefit from lessons. BPA allows me to communicate with students between lessons, send and receive videos and audio recordings, and connect them with performances that inspire them to play beautifully. During online lessons, I can share my screen and play games or display musical notation.

For school age children and most adults, I use the innovative and proven Piano Safari method. Piano Safari offers ​A holistic approach combining ears, eyes, and imagination that allows students to become musically literate at the piano.

I have recently completed the training for a brilliant new method from the U.K. called Ready to Play for ages 4-6 that emphasizes developing the ear through movement, singing, and games.

For those who desire a more traditional approach, I use the best of the traditional methods: Faber’s Piano Adventures.

I am a lifelong learner. After graduating with a degree in music education, I continued taking lessons in piano, voice, guitar, attending conferences, and learning about the psychology of learning music. When the Covid crisis hit, I was initially dismayed that I could not sing along with my students, demonstrate techniques, and play duets. I entered a period of intense study of everything that the internet and new technology had to offer in the way of teaching music. After overcoming some technical challenges and lots of self-study, I am now very happy teaching online and my students and their parents look forward to weekly lessons.

Having begun piano lessons at age 5, I cannot remember a time when piano was not part of my life. In my teen years, I participated in choirs and musical productions and went on to study organ. I helped finance my college music degree playing for church worship services. As a parent, I sang and played musically with my children every day. They both had lessons and were involved in school music programs. Music is still an important part of their lives; Matthew is a classical music afficiando and sings, and Kelly is a guitar player and singer. In 2000 I helped found the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore and became its first (and only to this point) Director of Music.

• Gettysburg College: Bachelor of Science in Music Education
• Provided Piano Accompaniment for Voice Lessons, Dance Classes, choir rehearsals, and musical productions.
• Music educator at Sandy Spring Friends School and West Cape Elementary
• Licensed Early Childhood Music educator with the Kindermusik program
• June 2017 completed training for Piano Safari
• August 2020 completed training for Ready to Play!
• Member of Vibrant Piano Teachers
• Member of Teaching Music Online
• Member Association of Unitarian Universalist Music Ministry
• Music Director of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore
• Music Director of Grace Notes Hospice Singers