If you want the low down on my music and teaching background, click here for my full resume. If you’d like to get to know me better, keep reading!

My earliest musical memory was when I was three years old. I was pounding out “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater” on the black keys of the piano, but couldn’t figure out where the last note was. I ran into my mother’s bedroom, woke her up, and asked what it was. She sleepily said, “Well, it depends on the key you are playing it in! “ Thus began my first piano lessons with her. In middle school, I took lessons from another teacher. But, whenever I went to practice, I would instead bring out song books and play and sing. My mother wisely switched me to voice lessons!  I have fond memories of my mother playing Debussy and Ravel late at night when she had time to practice. To this day, French music is one of my favorite genres to sing. 

We moved a lot, but I was fortunate to go to a high school with a wonderful choral program and award winning theater department.  I loved being in musicals. Then at age 16, I had a bad case of mononucleosis with a high fever that lead to paralysis of my left vocal fold. This was the time when I should have been auditioning for music school and scholarship opportunities. I had to leave choir. Instead of acting and singing, I spent hours in the costume department rebuilding and creating costumes. But I was determined! There was no therapy for my problem and I was told it could be permanent. I spent hours at the piano trying to match a single pitch, believing I could actually feel the right fold cross over to touch the left. My full voice returned within six months, just in time to audition for college. 

This was the beginning of my interest in the mind/body connection and the voice. I had lots of aches and pains for a young adult. Arthritis began in my 30s. It wasn’t until I was in my fifties that I was finally diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a connective tissue disorder with defective collagen) and Fibromyalgia. Again, I was determined to be as functional as possible. I have had years of physical therapy. But after traditional medicine had nothing more to offer, I sought alternative modalities-chiropractics, naturopathy, Chinese Medicine, Yoga, Feldenkreis and Pilates. I continue to do so. In  2002, I started my journey learning Body Mapping and taking private Alexander Technique lessons.   It was a game changer, not only for my own basic functioning, but for my singing and teaching. Bringing my thinking back to the way my body is designed to move and not the way it has adapted to move, brought incredible freedom. At this writing, I have completed my Level Two Certification from The Total Vocal Freedom Pro Program (TVF)  in teaching The Alexander Technique principles to singers and continue private AT study with Chicago teacher Amanda MacDonald.

In my late fifties, I had two bouts of vocal fold paresis. (partial paralysis) after cold viruses. I recovered both times. t the same time i was experiencing hormonal vocal changes.Without the tools from The Alexander Technique, I am sure I would have had to quit singing entirely. Instead I continue to sing professionally. With my Colleague Tracy Van Fleet of LA, I am co-owner of the online program The Ageless Singer for female singers over age 50 experiencing vocal change. We use AT principles along with traditional techniques to enable women to continue to enjoy singing.

I am a perennial student! I love to geek out on vocal pedagogy, brain science, and bio-physical functioning. Everything I do informs my teaching. In addition to teaching private and class voice for the last 35 years, I substituted as a special education for 13 years. In a field where students are often marginalized, seeing the whole student opens up a world of possibilities.  I never lost my love for acting. A few years ago I checked off a bucket list item by taking 3 years of Improv, Acting and Voice Over at The Second City in Chicago. I continue to sing professionally in small ensembles in Chicago and am loving working with students of every age, background and level.