Credentials and Experiences
Teaching Experience
During the current 2019-2020 school year I am serving as the Graduate Assistant to the Athletic Bands at Butler University while I finish up my Master's degree. In past school years I served as the music teacher in two separate school districts. Below are the descriptions of my current and past teaching positions:
Butler University is a private liberal arts university in Indianapolis, IN. As the athletic bands graduate assistant I work with both the marching and basketball bands. With the marching band I teach drill and music, run full rehearsals and sectionals, as well as keeping track of attendance and grades. With the basketball band I am responsible for teaching music and directing the ensemble at both women's and men's basketball games. I also travel with the band post-season. To the right is a picture of me directing the band at a women's basketball game during January 2020.
Calvary Schools of Holland is a small K-12 Christian school on the south side of Holland, MI. It is here where I served as the 5th-12th grade band teacher and PK-8th grade choir teacher. My bands were quite small: 12 in the high school bands, 6 in the middle school band, and 11 in the 5th/6th grade beginning band. However, having such small classes gave me the opportunity to get to know each of my students on a more personal level and be able to address all issues during the rehearsal process to create a cleaner sounding ensemble. In addition to my concert ensemble classes, I was asked to start a pep band for the basketball games during the winter. With small amounts of actual band students, I decided to ask members of the staff, parents, and alumni to participate. We had quite a bit of positive feedback at the end of our season! To the right is a picture of our debut at the first home basketball game of the season.
Innocademy Homestead is a K-8 charter school in Zeeland, MI. Here I taught Young 5s-4th grade general music, two sections of 5th-8th grade band, and a 5th-8th grade choir class. My general music students were immersed in a variety of tonal and rhythmic activities, along with an instrument of the month and musical books once a week for 35-55 minutes. My choir class changed each semester, therefore each class was filled with music theory and note reading along with preparing two pieces for the end of semester concert. Lastly, the band program was just started in 2014-2015 school year, so I had the opportunity of building and growing the program. I had 17 students in band and hoped that number would grow in the following years. Also to the right is a picture of my first and second graders during our Christmas Extravaganza. The 2nd graders showed the musical form of "March" from The Nutcracker with a parachute while the 1st graders showed 8 and 16 beat phrases with shakers, jingle bells, and scarves.
Over my four years at Hope College I had the unique opportunity to observe and teach in multiple classrooms before my student teaching semester. Before that semester, I had already obtained over 120 hours of classroom experience. Please click on the link below to learn more about my field placement and student teaching experiences.
Oboe Performance
When I went back to school to work on my master's degree I auditioned for the Butler University Wind Ensemble. I performed in the ensemble from August 2018 - March 2020, performing as principal for my last 2 semesters. While at Butler I also took oboe lessons with Pam Ajango.
Between April 2015 to June 2018 I subbed with the Holland Symphony Orchestra when they needed a 2nd oboist or English horn player. I performed a variety of styles with them from classical concerts with Tchaikovsky to pops concerts with Simon & Garfunkel.
From September 2011 through December 2014 I studied with Dr. Sarah Southard at Hope College. During this time I performed both a solo junior recital and a combined senior recital with a flautist. I have worked on and performed a large variety of pieces from Handel and Cimerosa, to Mozart, to Poulenc and Hindemith. I also performed on smaller scale department-wide performance classes and departmental recitals since my freshman year.
Chamber music is also something that is close to my heart. I have played with the Pentatonic Woodwind Quintet formed at the beginning of my freshman year until the end of my senior year. Together we have performed on a myriad of chamber music recitals and also held a "senior" recital for ourselves. We've auditioned and performed in Hope's Musical Showcase that occurs at DeVos Hall in Grand Rapids, MI once a year and also had a master class with the world renowned Calefax Reed Quintet. All of these experiences have been incredibly beneficial as a musician and also as an educator. Working with a small group is much different than playing soloistically or in a large ensemble. Talking with the group members and collaborating lets the musicians form the music into how they want it to be played.
In my undergrad I also had the opportunity to perform with many different large ensembles. For three years I was a member of the Hope College Wind Ensemble and was section leader for my last year. I toured twice with this group, the first time to New Orleans, LA and the second time to Boston, MA. For my senior year I was asked to be principal oboe in the Hope College Orchestra and Symphonette.
Conducting Work
Beginning in August 2018 I started work on my Master's of Music Performance: Conducting degree. For 4 semesters I studied the art of conducting with Col. Michael J. Colburn, former director of the the United States Marine Band. While working with Professor Colburn I also had the opportunity to conduct the Butler University Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band on a weekly basis. I will graduate from my conducting program in May 2020.
From September 2012 to May 2014 I had the privilege of studying conducting with Dr. Gabe Southard at Hope College. During this time I directed the Concert Band, a community wind group, under his instruction and also took private lessons with him from January-May 2014. I had the opportunity to direct the Wind Ensemble as well during this time period and conducted a piece on our tour to Boston, MA. From September 2014 through December 2014 I directed both the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble under the instruction of Dr. Brian Coyle who took Southard's place while he was on sabbatical.
Professional Development
Over the course of my time at Hope I have attended the MMEA Fall Workshop at Hope College, Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, MI, the Christian Educators Conference in Holland, MI, and the Fire Up Student Teaching Conference at Grand Valley State University. Along with these conferences I have attended professional development days at Northview Public Schools and Kentwood Public Schools where I had my student teaching placements. I am also certified in first aid and CPR through the American Heart Association and CPI certified.
In the past years I have attended the MMEA Fall Workshops and the Michigan Music Conferences. I have also been to numerous professional development opportunities my schools have provided.
Other Relevant Experiences
From August 2013 through December 2014 I worked as a music librarian for Hope College. During this time I was in charge of the Concert Band, the community wind group that rehearses once a week directed by Dr. Gabe Southard and student conductors. Part of my job was to create folders for each of the ensemble members and put the music that they were assigned in their respective folder. While I was in this position I also spearheaded a project to refile and manage the music within the music library. I was to go through the pieces we had on file, remove extra copies, and record if there were any parts missing.
During the summer of 2013 I interned at Ward Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Northville, MI. I mainly worked with musical worship and planned services. I also had the opportunity to work with the church choir and orchestra on multiple occasions. At the end of the summer I taught parts of a beginning music theory class to church musicians while my supervisor was out of town.