Why Me and Why Art?

My childhood was split into two phases; traveling and rain. I was born in Chicago, and by the time I was in middle school I had moved to Virginia, Italy, California, and Washington. My family settled after that, and I consider the gray skies and wet grass my hometown. I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics (VSAA) for all of middle and high school. At VSAA, I was given the chance to try different art forms, including moving image arts, literary arts, music, visual art, and theatre. This school is where and why my passion for arts integration began.

Focusing on orchestra and choir definitely helped me identify as a musician primarily, but I have a deep love for all art. As a student at Brigham Young University, I am currently working on my bachelor's degree in music education while performing with University Singers. I love school, so even though I could graduate sooner, I will probably find more classes to take before I am finished. For work, I teach group piano lessons at the Art City Music Academy. This job has given me 13+ hours of teaching experience weekly, and helped solidify my decision to pursue music education.

My husband Tyler and I have been married for just over a year, and we live in Mapleton, UT. Though we love Utah, our hope is to someday move to his hometown Alaska to spend our lives teaching music, riding horses, and catching salmon. 

I am so excited to play with Ms. Brown's 5th grade class this semester at Rocky Mountain Elementary in Spanish Fork! Let's make some music!

PC: Nick Ritter, 2015