Welcome to Southwest Orchestra!  This is my seventeenth year of teaching at Southwest, and I am very excited about the endless possibilities of this school year.  

I graduated from the University of Kansas with my undergrad in music education.  I then went back for my Master's degree at MidAmerica Nazarene University, for Education with an emphasis in technology-enhanced teaching.  Since then, I have acquired my Educational Administration Master's degree from Emporia State University.  If you can't tell... I love to learn.  I also love to see things from different perspectives, which was great when learning about administration.  

Outside of school, I have a young daughter that keeps me very busy and entertained.  She is so sweet, so happy, and has the best giggle in the world (I am not biased in any way)!!  When I have spare time, I love to go for walks and read.  I also have a list of favorite shows that I keep up with.  That is my life in a nutshell!!

This year, it is my goal to include more gaming in my classroom - making orchestra music and things like practicing as fun as possible, with challenges, point systems, etc.  I also want to do a better job communicating with parents and including parents in what we do in class.  Music is universal, and I want to celebrate all kinds of music.  Whether you play an instrument or not, music plays a role in your life.  My students may not play an instrument for the rest of their lives, and that is okay.  While they are here, I want to set them up for success if they do choose to continue, and give them life skills that can be used no matter what.  Throughout the school year, the students will have many opportunities to play, perform, and improve their musical skills.  They will also learn to practice and improve skills, set goals and work toward them, self-evaluate and make a plan to improve, and work together as a team to accomplish their goals.  

Thank you for all of your encouragement and support from home.  I am looking forward to all of the great music that we can make together!