My Story
Music and I go way back!
Since a young age, my parents have been strong proponents of my music education. My mom is a choir director and professor at St. Charles Community College, and she encouraged me to begin singing with my church choir in grade school. Encountering music in my favorite movies, TV shows, and video games, I learned to play the piano by ear starting with learning the theme to Star Wars.
Invigorated by the joy of making music, I joined a youth choir at the community college, and I even sang at his middle school’s production of The Wizard of Oz.
I was introduced to the trombone in sixth grade through my school program, and I began studying privately at the community college with bass trombonist Jim Martin a year later.
To the joy (and dismay) of my family, I would bring home the trombone every day and play my favorite movie themes, lesson etudes, and jazz standards. Just when the house thought I was finished for the day, I’d sit down at the piano and begin arranging and improvising.
I enthusiastically sought after repertoire that challenged me. My drive for learning lead me to the Metro 8 All-District and Missouri All-State Concert and Jazz Bands throughout my secondary schooling.
In high school, my passion for learning erupted into an explosion of achievement. As a sophomore, I performed as the baritone soloist across the Midwest for the Panther Pride Marching Band’s 2019 production: Gateway to the West. I earned numerous gold medals every year at the Missouri State Solo and Ensemble Festival for trombone quartets, brass quintets, and solo work (including Alexandre Guilmant’s Morceau Symphonique). Additionally, I became the first Fort Zumwalt North High School student to make the Missouri All-State list for all four years.
I took every chance I could get to play: my high school Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Marching Band; the community concert and jazz bands at St. Charles Community College; seven years at the late Jim Widner’s summer jazz camps; for my high school’s musicals Calamity Jane and Big Fish (with tuba!); and several appearances in jazz combo settings including the Dark Room in St. Louis.
As I progressed musically, I rose to the top of my class academically as I honed the roots to my current professional skills. I juggled eighteen honors courses—nine of which were Advanced Placement—all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. While I didn’t choose to pursue music education until late during my junior year, I worked hard to build a sturdy foundation of healthy habits and academic prowess to leap forward from.
My passion for teaching blossomed through the children’s ministry at my church where I served every Sunday morning and at various summer camps for six years. I fell in love with fostering a fun environment, helping students make connections, and leading them to enjoy the learning process. During my senior year, I traveled to my middle school twice weekly to work with the jazz band alongside my director, and I conducted Basically Basie on their spring concert.
Now, I study Instrumental Music Education at Southeast Missouri State University.
Since arriving in the fall of 2022, I has served as the principal trombonist in the Southeast Wind Symphony, Jazz Studio, and Symphony Orchestra. I am the student conductor for the Show Band and a Senior Teaching Assistant for the Southeast Marching Band. A leader on campus, my peers and professors trust me to get a job done thoroughly and efficiently. I have studied under the tutelage of Dr. Joseph L. Jefferson, and I am currently under the instruction of Dr. Felipe Brito.
During the summer months, I work with the marching bands at Fort Zumwalt North and West High School as a brass technician, and I operate a home trombone studio that has impacted over twenty students since 2021 with more than 180 private lessons.
