TEACHING
A LITTLE ABOUT MYSELF
During my college years, I taught clarinet in the Preparatory Department of the Cleveland Institute of Music and later received a one-year appointment to teach clarinet at the University of Akron. These experiences early in my career were tremendous opportunities to develop as a teacher, to teach - and learn from! - students with diverse backgrounds and abilities. After my New World Symphony fellowship, I returned to California to start my freelance career, eventually becoming a lecturer at UC Davis and Stanford University. During the summer months, I taught clarinet in the collegiate division of the Chautauqua Institution and in 2011 I received a full-time Assistant Professorship at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance. At these institutions, I had the privilege of mentoring Music Education, Performance, and other majors at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
After my appointment to the San Francisco Symphony, I joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where I currently teach private lessons and coach chamber ensembles, helping students refine their technique and musicianship as they work to define their professional goals. Through a traditional and thoughtful approach to all members of the clarinet family, I seek to help students achieve physical ease and confidence as a pathway to finding their musical voice. I focus on the consistent building of a solid technical foundation, tone production, and equipment choices so the experience of performing and teaching becomes a process of discovery and finding one’s unique voice.
YOUTH ORCHESTRA
COVID-19 ADAPTATIONS
Following health guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic, I am fully set up for remote teaching via Zoom and FaceTime. I am also open to exploring the possibility of in-person, socially distanced private lessons, chamber coaching, or sectionals that adhere to strict health protocols for the safety of all involved.
PRIVATE LESSONS
Alongside my performance and college teaching career, I have maintained a private teaching studio of high school students who are accomplished members of youth orchestras and wind ensembles. I also truly enjoy working with adult amateur musicians who are re-acquainting themselves with the love of playing the clarinet for their own enjoyment, in chamber groups, or as part of community ensembles. Through my work with adult amateur musicians, I currently serve on the advisory board of the Amateur Music Network.
MASTER CLASSES
I have taught masterclasses at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music in China, and at the University of British Columbia in Canada. In the US, I have taught master classes at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Oregon, University of Michigan, Chautauqua Institution, the New England Conservatory, the International Clarinet Association (ICA) ClarinetFest, and at several Northern California colleges.
AUDITION PREPARATION
Having once been on the audition and interview circuit, and later a member of audition and search committees, I enjoy bringing my experience and “insider knowledge” to all instrumentalists who are undertaking the challenging – yet rewarding – task of earning a position with an orchestra, military band, or academic institution. In the area of audition preparation, I work with students to develop a systematic approach that is driven by artistry, deeply considered musicianship, and common sense as the foundation and pathway to building audition confidence, consistency, and conviction.