I am a musician, artist, and educator. I’ve also been an educator for most of my adult life starting in tech and moving over to the music world in 2007 when I opened my private voice studio. I stumbled into Zentangle® purely by accident. I’ve doodled since childhood, filling the margins of pages with repeated patterns — no blank paper was safe! Around 2014, I was experimenting with mandala drawing and looking for patterns to fill in the spaces. Pinterest pointed me to several Zentangle® patterns and the rest is history. Several local Zentangle® classes completely hooked me on the art form. In 2021, I attended Zentangle® CZT 37, the workshop where I formally earned my Certified Zentangle Teacher® title. While I didn’t realize it then, Air & Ink Studio was born! Air & Ink happily blends my two passions – music and art.
My Philosophy as an Artist and Musician
I explore patterns and interactions in everything I do. I explore the interactions of the breath and body and the music I sing. In the art world, I combine pen & ink, colored pencil, pastels, and watercolor in various ways. Abstract drawing provides a launchpad for my imagination, and Zentangle®’s message of gratitude and appreciation without judgment allows me the freedom to experiment. This message threads its way through all of my creative endeavors and underpins my teaching philosophy.
I encourage my students to enjoy the process and the journey as much as the outcome. We experiment with different techniques to see what works best for the style of music they want to sing, their bodies, and how they process information. In my art classes, I ask my students to quiet their inner critic while we work with a variety of ways to embellish and customize the lesson’s patterns and ideas. I create a judgement-free, playful zone so students can take time and learn what they need to learn at their own pace.
Everything I teach is rooted in science. Zentangle® draws from mindfulness and flow – there’s brain science in that art! The latest voice science and acoustic vocal pedagogy guides how I teach voice. Part of my job is to translate these ideas into something concrete that a student of any age can understand and use.
My artistic journey leads me through a series of creative deep dives, allowing me to explore various subjects and ideas from many different angles. Likewise, in music and art, I also lead my students on their own creative deep dives to uncover talents and develop skills.
To learn more about the classes that Air & Ink offers, go here. If you’re looking for private voice lessons, check out this page.
My Music Background
I have been singing and performing since my early teens. After performing professionally for ten years, I started my voice studio in 2007.
My unique background helps me train successful singers. A proud geek, I hold a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. My science and engineering training help me understand the science of singing. My performance career and choral directing background taught me the more ethereal aspects of vocal performance, allowing me to express them to my students more effectively. I blend artistry, experience, and science to help my students uncover their best singer.
I also enjoy arranging and composition, and specialized in these areas when I studied at Berklee College of Music. My arrangements have been performed throughout the New England region by choirs and small singing groups.
Student Successes
My teenage students graduate into music and theater programs including:
- Berklee College of Music
- University of Massachusetts at Amherst
- Hartt School of Music
- AMDA
- Marymount Manhatten College
- Susquehanna University
- Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
My students also attend nationally recognized auditioned summer and music and theater intensives, including those offered by Ithaca College, Boston Children’s Theater, and Broadway Workshop in New York City. I regularly coach my adult, teen, and child students for auditions, competitions, and performances in their local area.
My Performance Career
I perform in a variety of venues in the New England area. Before the pandemic, I was a featured soloist at the First Unitarian Church in Worcester. I also regularly performed in cabaret and classical programs throughout the region.
Some of my favorite performances include Mother in Amahl & the Night Visitors, Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and various parts in Godspell. I have performed solos in such works as Mozart’s Requiem, Dvorak’s Mass in D, Ariel Ramirez’s Nuestra Navidad, Rutter’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Eleanor Daly’s Requiem. As a musical director for a local theater, helped craft critically acclaimed performances of Lucky Stiff and She Loves Me. I reaffirmed my love of acapella music as Artistic Director of the Post Road Chorus, a Sweet Adelines International women’s chorus. I was also the Vocal Coach and Assistant Music Director at The First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury, MA for many years.