Faculty Biography

"After studying classical music as a performance major for a long time, I decided to do something that felt more true to who I was, so I got my degree in philosophy. That background helped me forge my path as a person, as an independent musician, and as a jazz violinist. And having a background in the humanities has helped me to communicate in different circumstances, environments, and cultures.

"I was inspired to learn about jazz through a great deal of exposure to African American culture. That exposure also gave me respect and appreciation for how profound every individual's unique experience is. I feel that it's a kind of sacred thing to deal with individual students on their own terms, try to learn from them, be open to who they are and where they want go, and try to give them what is going to be most useful for them.

"Most people think of me as an advanced jazz teacher, but with my classical background I can also work with students on classical technique development. I also help my students find more fluid ways to play the instrument, and to improve physical relaxation, freedom of movement, balance, flexibility, and strength to help avoid injury.

"I want to push my students to challenge themselves to be creative; that includes composition, arranging, improvisation—anything that involves some level of creativity. Acknowledging and encouraging string players to pursue their unique creative voice is often lacking in string education. While string players receive an incredible education from an early age, they're taught in the culture of classical music, which is bound up in the Western European canon. Except for Berklee, which is ahead of the curve, string education hasn't caught up to the culture that other instrumentalists in the jazz world have been exposed to in terms of improvisation and composition.

"As a parent I feel really deeply about wanting to expose my daughter to all the things I wasn't exposed to when I was studying classical music growing up. I want her to have the rewards of the creative aspect of music-making. That is what led me on this path of being an educator. Looking to the next generation keeps me on my toes as an artist and pushes me further in my own development. And it's helping me to develop curriculum that is part of the front edge of the movement of string players doing what other instrumentalists take for granted."