I am a passionate arts education leader with a demonstrated commitment to equity and accessibility. My broad experience as a leader, educator, scholar, and entrepreneur includes work in community education, PK-12 education, and higher education. I incorporate Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in my teaching and explore a diverse range of music traditions in the classroom, studio, and on stage.
I am the PK-12 Director of Visual and Performing Arts at The Blake School. I work with Blake arts faculty, collaborating with them in the evolution and alignment of the arts curriculum and co-curricular program. In addition, I administer the PK-12 programming in the visual arts, instrumental and vocal music, theater arts and debate. In February 2024, I presented a day-long faculty and staff workshop on "Storytelling in the Arts" as part of The Blake School's annual Intercultural Competency Professional Development Day.
Prior to my time at The Blake School, I taught courses in music and culture at the Dougherty Family College, voice lessons in the Music Department of the University of St. Thomas (UST), and an introductory course for first-year UST students. My community arts and leadership experiences include past tenures on the University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board, the Board of Directors at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, and chair of Journey North Opera Company's Board of Directors.
In 2022, I earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas, Department of Educational Leadership, and my dissertation received the department's highest distinction of passing with honors. Entitled "Mixed People, Mixed Music: Hybrid Contemporary Commercial Music Genres and the Multiethnic Artists Who Create Them," the dissertation studied the experiences and contributions of multiethnic artists working in the contemporary commercial music industry and the historical development and racialization of country, hip hop, and reggaetón. Click here to read the dissertation abstract. I hold an M.Mus., Vocal Performance, from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins, and a B.A. in Italian Studies (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Minnesota. In December 2024, I will complete coursework at the University of St. Thomas for the State of Minnesota's Principal Licensure.
Click the buttons below to learn about my thoughts on innovation in arts education, or to read my curriculum vitae.
I am the PK-12 Director of Visual and Performing Arts at The Blake School. I work with Blake arts faculty, collaborating with them in the evolution and alignment of the arts curriculum and co-curricular program. In addition, I administer the PK-12 programming in the visual arts, instrumental and vocal music, theater arts and debate. In February 2024, I presented a day-long faculty and staff workshop on "Storytelling in the Arts" as part of The Blake School's annual Intercultural Competency Professional Development Day.
Prior to my time at The Blake School, I taught courses in music and culture at the Dougherty Family College, voice lessons in the Music Department of the University of St. Thomas (UST), and an introductory course for first-year UST students. My community arts and leadership experiences include past tenures on the University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board, the Board of Directors at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, and chair of Journey North Opera Company's Board of Directors.
In 2022, I earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas, Department of Educational Leadership, and my dissertation received the department's highest distinction of passing with honors. Entitled "Mixed People, Mixed Music: Hybrid Contemporary Commercial Music Genres and the Multiethnic Artists Who Create Them," the dissertation studied the experiences and contributions of multiethnic artists working in the contemporary commercial music industry and the historical development and racialization of country, hip hop, and reggaetón. Click here to read the dissertation abstract. I hold an M.Mus., Vocal Performance, from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins, and a B.A. in Italian Studies (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Minnesota. In December 2024, I will complete coursework at the University of St. Thomas for the State of Minnesota's Principal Licensure.
Click the buttons below to learn about my thoughts on innovation in arts education, or to read my curriculum vitae.