my credentials

I am a voice instructor and mindfulness teacher based in Downingtown (Chester County), Pennsylvania. As a teacher, I am passionate about the human voice and enjoy helping my students explore ways to express themselves more fully.

In my private singing studio in Downingtown, I specialize in teaching musical theater voice to advanced high school and middle school performers. As an adjunct voice instructor at Immaculata University, I teach classical repertoire and coach music therapy majors in a variety of musical styles.

My private voice students have:

• been accepted to top colleges for:

  • BFA, musical theater: American Musical and Dramatic Academy (NYC), Boston Conservatory at Berklee (with full and partial scholarships), Manhattan School of Music, Marymount Manhattan College, Point Park University, Temple University

  • BFA, acting: New York University — Tisch School of the Arts, Pace University

  • BM, vocal performance: New York University — Steinhardt School

  • speech-language pathology: Misericordia University (Master of Science), LaSalle University

• performed with professional theaters (Walnut Street Theatre, Bucks County Playhouse, Fulton Theatre, Media Theatre, Resident Theatre Company, Candlelight Theatre, others)

• performed with community theaters (Forge Theatre, Barley Sheaf Players, Footlighters Theater, SALT Performing Arts, Limelight Performing Arts Center)

• performed with summer theater programs (Broadway Dreams’ NYC Showcase, Stagedoor Manor, Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp, Upper Darby Summer Stage)

• played lead (Downingtown West, Henderson, Rustin, Bishop Shanahan, and Unionville High Schools; C.F. Patton, Great Valley, Peirce, and Springton Lake Middle Schools), supporting, and ensemble roles in their school theatrical productions

• fronted their own bands

I taught private voice lessons for ten years at Bishop Shanahan High School (Downingtown), two years at Popovsky Performing Arts Studio (Lancaster), and one year at Chester County School of the Arts, formerly Revival Performing Arts Conservatory (Coatesville). I have created popular courses in singing and the speaking voice at Chester County Night School (West Chester).

Deeply committed to professional development, I am a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Speakeasy Cooperative. I have attended vocal pedagogy seminars at Penn State University (Bel Canto — Can Belto), Eastman School of Music (Summer Institute on Vocal Pedagogy and Performance), Westminster Choir College (Seminar on Children's Voices), and the Voice Foundation (the annual Voice Symposium). In 2016, I attended an Estill Voice Training Course, Level One (Figures for Voice Control) and Level Two (Figure Combinations for Six Voice Qualities). 

My own roles on the musical stage include Mrs. Segstrom in A Little Night Music, Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music, Snow White in Into the Woods, Young Emily in Follies, and Hanna in Oscar Straus’s A Waltz Dream. I have performed the role of Lillian Galletta in Peter Boyer's Ellis Island: The Dream of America with the Chester County Pops Orchestra.

I have worked as a television background actor in New York City (ABC's Pan Am and NBC's 30 Rock) and Philadelphia (NBC's Do No Harm). I continue my own training through private study of singing, acting, and dance.

I hold a B.A. in music and German from St. Olaf College.  I have completed extensive coursework in vocal pedagogy and child and adolescent voice. I hold a Graduate Certificate in Applied Mindfulness from West Chester University. My ongoing research, which I have presented at the Voice Foundation’s Annual Symposium, focuses on the effects of an 8-week mindfulness course in people with voice disorders. My article about the research has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Voice. I have also co-presented a workshop on mindfulness and voice at the 2003 Pan-American Vocology Association Symposium with Julia Gerhard, DMA, CCC-SLP. I am currently collaborating with the University of Miami Voice Center on several research projects related to voice and mindfulness. I am trained in Mental Health First Aid.

Before opening my voice studio in 2009, I worked in public relations for seven years, holding positions at the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Academy of Vocal Arts, and Inglis Foundation. I also taught English and music in Germany on a Fulbright grant. 

In my spare time, I enjoy yoga, gardening, and spending time with my husband, my two sons, and my little dog Riley.

Read more about my story or sign up for a lesson.