Fun Facts

I love doing different activities with my friends! I play music for fun, and I also love dancing (especially Argentine tango and contra). I play Dungeons and Dragons and watch Critical Role religiously. I also love cooking and eating a wide variety of food, especially chocolate!

About Me

I'm a violinist, violist, and fiddler in Champaign-Urbana, IL. I perform with professional orchestras across the Central Illinois area, including as a member of Sinfonia da Camera. I'm also a member of several bands. Meadowhawk plays Irish and American fiddle music plus original material; Papashoy plays high-energy klezmer; Rational Dress Society performs songs and fiddle music with tight vocal harmonies. My Argentine tango experience includes performances with Julian Peralta and Pablo Aslan.

Experience

I have taught violin, viola, and fiddle students ages 3-80 for 13 years, using my own teaching method that combines learning by ear with learning from music notation and encompasses music styles from around the world, from Western classical music to klezmer, Irish, and American fiddling to Argentine tango music.

Approach

As a child, I struggled to understand what and how to practice. When I started learning how to play fiddle music by ear after playing violin for many years, I finally knew what it felt like to really be in command of what I was playing. I have applied my approach of step-by-step learning by ear and from music notation to all of my teaching, giving my students the experience of fully mastering their music.