I am a navy wife, mom of two teens and two small dogs, and a pianist who has been playing for nearly 40 years. I began my studies at 3 and 1/2 and diligently continued until I had graduated with a degree in Music Education from the School of Music at the University of Illinois. In the almost 20 years since graduating I have taught general music in public schools, directed choirs and musicals, led worship for church services and women's events, worked as the academy pianist for the Lynch Dance Institute in California, accompanied summer intensive auditions in San Diego for the Austin Ballet and the American Ballet Theater, and have taught private piano lessons to students of all ages and skill levels in Wisconsin, Hawaii, California and now Texas. As a private teacher I draw on the best practices of my Suzuki upbringing as well as the effective methods that I have discovered in the years since. I believe that the foundation of classical repertoire and technique is essential in any proper piano education, but that students should also be given opportunities to experience a wide variety of music and that lessons should be joyful, engaging, and fun!