I have always believed that anything is possible — and the teachers, students, and communities I work alongside are the reason I know it’s true.

I’ve had the honor of teaching in schools across five countries and facilitating professional development for teachers from six continents. Just when I think my mind and heart are full, another person or experience expands my world even further. That sense of possibility — and the joy of learning alongside others — fuels everything I do.

I believe in empowering arts educators to bring to life the one-of-a-kind impact of the arts through curriculum that is:

  • backward-designed
  • concept-based
  • understanding-driven
  • transfer-focused
  • equity-integrated
  • inquiry-oriented
  • standards-aligned, and
  • student-centered

With over 20 years as an elementary and secondary music educator, teacher leader, and facilitator of professional development, I’ve worked in nearly every corner of arts education:

  • Classroom teacher
  • State-level Music Education Coordinator
  • Writer of the National Core Arts Standards
  • Keynote and session presenter (nationally and internationally)
  • Graduate-level university instructor
  • Performing Arts Coordinator
  • Elementary Specialist Team Leader

Through each of these roles, one truth has remained constant: when students, educators, leaders, and communities work together, incredible things happen.

I believe deeply in the power of collaboration, in honoring the expertise people already carry, and in creating learning experiences that are meaningful, student-centered, and community-rooted. My work is about building trusting relationships, sparking new ideas, and co-creating curriculum and professional learning that strengthens not only classrooms, but entire schools and communities.

The arts can transform the way we learn, the way we connect, and the way we imagine what’s possible. And I love nothing more than helping others bring that transformation to life.

🤝 How I Work With Individuals and Teams

I know that the best ideas don’t come from a single person — they emerge from collaboration. That’s why my work always starts with relationships. I spend time listening, learning about your school and community, and honoring the wisdom and expertise your educators already bring.

From there, we design learning together. Whether it’s shaping curriculum, facilitating professional development, or supporting school-wide arts initiatives, I customize each experience to the people in front of me — every time. My goal is to create professional learning that is:

  • Collaborative: built with you, not handed to you
  • Practical: grounded in real classroom practice and student needs
  • Empowering: designed to strengthen both teacher confidence and student learning
  • Sustainable: leaving you with tools, processes, and resources you can carry forward long after our time together

Over the years, I’ve facilitated workshops, courses, and keynotes in schools and conferences around the world. No matter the format, my approach is the same: build trust, ask questions, and co-create solutions that feel authentic and lasting.

Because at the end of the day, what we create together far exceeds what any of us could create alone.

✨ Let’s see what we can imagine — together.

Selected CV

Teaching (18 years in classrooms) & Professional Development (20+ years)

  • International Arts Education Consultant with schools and teachers on 6 continents — Music Ed Forward (2019–present)
  • Consultant with International Baccalaureate on DP Music Guide (2022-2024)
  • Design Technology (long-term cover teacher), MYP – International School of Amsterdam (2022)
  • Music Educator, MYP/DP (Grades 9–11) — International School of Amsterdam (2020–2021)
  • Music Specialist (Grades 2–4) — American School of The Hague, Netherlands (2014–2019)
  • Music Specialist (Grades 3–5) — American Embassy School, New Delhi, India (2012–2013)
  • Choral Specialist (Grades 6–9) — Southview Middle School, Edina, MN (2013–2014)
  • Music Education Coordinator for the State of Minnesota, USA — Perpich Center for Arts Education, MN (2007–2012)
  • Adjunct Faculty in Music Education — University of St. Thomas, MN (2007–2022)
  • Adjunct Faculty in Music Education — Augsburg College, MN (2011–2012)
  • Music Specialist (K–6) — Park Spanish Immersion School, MN (1998–2007)

Selected Certificates and Professional Training

  • Certified Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) Trainer (2021)
  • NEASC Accreditation Training, American School of The Hague (2019)
  • Adaptive Schools Training, International School of Beijing (2018)
  • ECIS/ASL Middle Leaders Certificate (2017)
  • Cognitive Coaching (Levels I–II), WMEP, Minneapolis (2003–2004)
  • Responsive Classroom (Levels I–III + Leadership Workshop), Minneapolis (2003–2005)
  • PLC Workshop, Metropolitan Principal’s Academy (2006)

Selected Recent Conferences and Presentations

  • AMIS (Association for Music in International Schools) PD Conference, Columbia (2025)
  • AMIS (Association for Music in International Schools) PD Conference, Kenya (2025)
  • IES (International Education Services) Concept-Based Learning Conference, Shanghai (2025)
  • EARCOS (the East Asia Regional Council of Schools) Teachers Conference (2025)
  • AMIS (Association for Music in International Schools) PD Conference, Vietnam (2024)
  • Hong Kong International School PD Workshop Series (2024)
  • NESA (Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools) Educators Training Institute (2023)
  • AMIS (Association for Music in International Schools) PD Conference, Croatia (2023)
  • Professional Learning International’s Concept-Based Learning Labs Conference, Online (2023)
  • Organization of American Kodály Educators, Jacksonville, FL, USA (2023)
  • Professional Learning International’s Concept-Based Learning Labs Conference, The Hague + Online (2022)
  • AMIS (Association for Music in International Schools) PD Conference, The Hague (2022)

Selected Session Presentations

  • Designing Meaning-full Arts Learning: Understandings and Questions to Inspire Learning and Teaching
  • Getting Started with Inquiry in the Music Classroom: Strategies, Models, and Tools for Success
  • Creating Meaningful Units of Study, Part 1: Prioritizing Concepts and Creating Musical Understandings
  • Creating Meaningful Units of Study, Part 2: Guiding Questions and Musical Examples that Inspire Student Musicians
  • Guiding Inquiry in Music Classrooms: Scaffolding Questions to Enhance Learning and Performance
  • Guiding Inquiry from the Podium: Meaningful Inquiry in Secondary Ensembles to Support Independence, Interdependence, and Transfer
  • Inquiry in the Elementary Music Classroom: Student-Centered, Relevant, Differentiated
  • The Power of Intentionally-Scaffolded Questions in Music Learning: What, Why, and How
  • Designing a Sequential Yearlong Curriculum Plan: Mapping of Units of Study that Focus on Meaningful Music Learning (and Meet Your Curriculum Leader’s Expectations)
  • Build Your Curriculum Starting with Your Repertoire: Using the Music We Currently Perform as a Springboard for Curriculum Design
  • Assessing What Matters Most: The What, Why, and How of Assessment for Understanding and Transfer in the Arts
  • Designing Learning for Transfer: Authentic, Real-World Curriculum for Music Classrooms
  • Strategies to Support Musical Understanding for Beginning Conceptual Thinkers, Younger Students, and Students Acquiring the Language of Instruction
  • Transformative Arts Learning: Leveraging the Combined Power of Standards, Inquiry, and Concept-Based Learning
  • Inspiring Students to Create in the Music Classroom: Inquiry, Standards and Active Music Making

Selected Online Courses

  • Leading Arts Teams: Leadership Essentials to Start the Year Strong and Cultivate a Thriving Team
  • Discovering Concept-Based Arts: Reimagining art, music, drama, and dance instruction through a CBI lens (offered through Professional Learning International)
  • Recalibrating Music Education Curriculum and Instruction – Fall 2021 and Beyond
  • Inspiring Inquiry in Music Education
  • Intro to Backward Design in Music Education: Vision, Alignment, and Possibilities
  • Advocating for Sound Music Learning

Selected Awards & Recognitions

  • Milken Educator Award, Milken Family Foundation (2004)
  • Finalist, Minnesota Teacher of the Year (2004)
  • Finalist, Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation Ethics in Education Award (2003)
  • Teaching Fellowship, Umculo! The Kimberley Project (Eastman School of Music, 2002)