I didn’t grow up knowing I wanted to be a teacher.

One class in high school changed everything. Environmental science. Not my strength (not even close!). But the teacher made me feel capable. I belonged. I could do hard things. That’s when I learned what great teachers do. They unlock people.

Even though the sciences were never my “thing”, the music and the arts were. Teaching became my way of passing that feeling forward.

Then reality hit. Teaching is hard. Arts education leadership is hard. Talented educators and leaders quickly overextend, doubt themselves, and feel isolated, often without the kind of support only other arts educators can provide (who else really understands everything that comes along with being a specialist?). Then….they leave. I refused to accept that as part of the job.

Somewhere between teaching preK-12 music (general music, band, choir, guitar, handbells, musical theatre….everything!), learning on the job (and struggling), getting my doctorate and starting a family, I chose to be part of the solution.

Today, I serve as the Assistant Dean of Teacher Education at Longy School of Music. I also work with schools, arts organizations, and teachers around the world through providing relevant professional development, instructional coaching, mentoring, curricular support, program development and teacher leadership support. Through personally tailored reality-based strategies and solutions I strive to provide the support that many of our hardworking arts educators and leaders so desperately need.

Through this work, teachers and leaders celebrate the beauty of progress over perfection, keep their spark, see what’s possible, and remember they are never alone—so they can love what they do and pass that joy on to their students.