I live in Milwaukie. I have been married for 23 years to an extraordinary gentleman named Hugo. Our son (a sophomore at the University of Portland and a fine jazz musician), my daughter, an alumna of The Madeleine School, and currently a sophomore at Jesuit High School and out pets, Zoot and Fiona complete the family. For fun, I love to walk, listen to music, and read! Recently, I have become a “horse fanatic” as I encourage my daughter’s equestrian adventures.

I received my Master’s in Music from the University of Southern California in 1985. Since then, I have taught at the college level, owned and operated my own piano studio for 14 years, and taught music for the Archdiocese of Portland since 1998. I consider it a privilege and an honor to share my expertise and faith with young people at The Madeleine: 2009 begins my fourth year here.

As the school year progresses, we will explore music through singing, sight-reading or sight-singing, theory, history, instruments, dancing, and more! We will address the national, state, and archdiocesan music standards using the above strategies and preparing liturgies together. We will also express our most creative selves through choir and musical drama.

I am passionate about teaching music: it is a medium which promotes critical thinking, organization, evaluation, and analysis while building upon prior knowledge and experience. Musical training can promote the development of parts of the brain that then may facilitate other non-musical cognitive powers.

Oliver Sacks, a writer and physician, has stated that “the whole world is bathed in wonder and beauty and mystery. The feeling of the holy, the sacred, the wonderful, the mystical….is conveyed very powerfully in music.” It seems a perfect union: music and faith!