“I love that regardless of culture, language or background, or age, music can reach everyone. It is a global language that everyone can relate to on some level. I love its ability to reach so many people in so many different ways. I love how universal it is.
“Music has alway been a part of my life. I have been a music teacher for eleven years. When I was a kid I wanted to be an actor or, in high school, I thought architecture could be a cool career path. I sang in church choir, community theaters, and many more. However, junior year in high school I had some amazing experiences in choirs. I just caught the bug and the rest is history from there.
“I love teaching choir to be able to build a community. I think that music and choir, specifically, are a very unique experience that most students don’t get in a normal day. You go to your class, do your homework, work as an individual, hopefully get an A, and that’s the end of it. An ensemble class, like choir, is a year long group project. Everybody is working towards the same goal together and everybody is trying their best to contribute to the group. They are striving to become a part of something greater than themselves. It builds musicianship and musicality, but it also builds life skills like empathy, compassion, collaboration, and work ethic. I like the community aspect of teaching choir.
“I taught in West Hartford previously, but I have been in Canton for 7 years. Canton music is a really tight knit community. We have such a strong support for the arts here in Canton that you get big town numbers in the ensemble. Whenever I tell somebody about our participation in music, they are always blown away. It’s a well established community. It’s understood that music is something to be supported and valued in a student’s education.”
