I have a diverse set of interests and experiences that have influenced my development as a musician and educator. I'm trained as a classical cellist and have studied in the BM and MM programs at The Juilliard School. As a freshman, I started an organization of actors, dancers, and musicians that has led arts empowerment workshops in Tanzania for six years, an experience that solidified my passion as an educator. This year I have been working for Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project in an arts integration program in Flushing, Queens. Academic pursuits include a senior thesis on using music therapeutically for post-traumatic stress disorder and three years of intensive Arabic language studies at Columbia University at the U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship Program in Morocco. All of these experiences have shaped me as a human being and educator alike.
1- Helping a student develop problem-solving skills at the cello. The first step toward musical growth is for the teacher to guide the student with specific steps on how to improve, but I love being able to provide the tools for the student to be able to figure out some of these steps at home while practicing.
2- Watching students grow over time. Musical improvement is a slow process and takes a lot of hard work, but it is great to see how well students progress over time. Students of mine have recently gone on to attend Interlochen and Shinx summer music programs.
3- Seeing a student fall in love with music. I didn't love playing music at first but over time found myself playing more and more because had begun liking it more and more. It's a great feeling to see a student fall in love with music.
