Since before I finished high school, I was teaching piano to younger kids in my hometown of Bon Accord, AB. Over the course of my post-secondary studies in piano performance, music history, theory, and composition, I continued teaching, adding adults to my student roster. Discovering the joy of assisting others in expressing their musical creativity made this a rewarding way to make a living.

In the spring of 1993, I completed my Bachelor of Music Honours Degree from the University of Alberta, which concentrated on classical music. After graduation, I became interested in pop and jazz and so began my Grant MacEwan studies in the fall of 1993. With a background solely in classical music training, the experience of learning to improvise instead of just relying on written notes was thrilling. I finished at Grant MacEwan, receiving my Music Diploma with Distinction in 1995.

With eight years of teaching experience and six years of post-secondary musical education under my belt, I began my career as a professional piano teacher. Thankfully, my schedule filled up rapidly, allowing me to work full time as an instructor. Though things were going well, music always offers room for growth and I wanted to continue my musical journey.

So in the early 2000s, I studied singing, not knowing where it would take me. Sheri Somerville, a legend in the Edmonton musical theatre circuit, instructed me for two years. She taught me proper vocal technique so that I wouldn’t strain my voice and how to phrase a melody so it connected with my audience. With her encouragement, I eventually became a vocal soloist at St. Joseph’s Basilica in downtown Edmonton. During a wedding where I was hired to sing, I heard a harpist perform live, a mere ten feet away from me. I was transfixed. A couple of weeks later, I became a harp student.

In 2004, I started lessons with the Edmonton harpist, Terry McDade, who taught me the beauty of the instrument and how, even with the simplest music, the harp could touch people’s hearts. I sped through two years of lessons with Terry until he handed me off to the Edmonton Symphony’s Principal Harpist, the incredible Nora Bumanis. From the fall of 2006 through the spring of 2019, Nora worked on my harp technique and musicality.

It was during this time Nora suggested I take composition lessons from her great friend and colleague, Dr. Malcolm Forsyth—the two-time Juno-award winning classical composer and retired music professor from the University of Alberta. Starting in early 2009 until his passing in 2011, Malcolm taught me composition and orchestration. It was a tremendous privilege and I only wish we had been allowed to continue.

After twenty years of professional teaching, I thought it would be wise for me to take a refresher course. So in 2016, Geraldine Haythorne was only too happy to assist me in my studies of piano pedagogy (the art of teaching piano) and for three years I was her student at the Alberta College.

All of my teachers have blessed me with their knowledge, and the best way I can show my gratitude is to pass on their invaluable wisdom to my students.