Ever since the age of 8 when my parents made it possible for me to begin piano lessons , music and music-making have enriched my life immeasurably and been a great source of joy for me and my family. Over the many years since that beginning I have had a wealth of musical experiences.

I was fortunate to have had excellent piano teachers from childhood through secondary school who were encouraging and caring in addition to being fine musicians; two from Juilliard, who provided me with opportunities to perform. Thanks to my instrumental music teachers throughout high school, I was able to perform piano concertos, participate in orchestral music as a cello student, and explore the wonderful chamber music repertoire for piano and string or wind instruments.

Those experiences were great preparation for my studies at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, one of the foremost music schools in the nation. The faculty at Oberlin and the talented young musicians that were my peers opened up new vistas for me in my musical education. In addition I was able to take advantage of the academic opportunities available through the Oberlin College of liberal arts to broaden my learning.

In graduate school I was once again very fortunate to have excellent teachers; a piano professor from the Moscow Conservatory, and members of the renowned Shanghai Quartet as well as the principal clarinetist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to coach my chamber music ensembles for performances.

Until I found my true vocation as a piano teacher 24 years ago and earned a Master’s Degree in Music, there were a few detours in my professional life as I searched for the work that would suit me best. After Oberlin I acquired a Master’s Degree in Social Work and did clinical work with adults and children as a therapist; however, music has always been my passion and teaching provided me with a wonderful path back to it.

During the years of rich experiences in parenting three children, I worked as the Education Administrator for a small, but excellent performing arts organization that had a mission and grants to bring music programs to inner city schools in New Jersey; my home for many years until moving to California in 2008. After all the excellent educational opportunities I had been afforded in music, it meant a great deal to introduce children to this kind of enrichment at a time when public school music programs were disappearing.

As a private music teacher now, it is my mission to bring the joy of music and accomplishment into the lives of the children and adults I teach. The alternative career paths that I have taken as well as the invaluable experience of raising my three wonderful children, one of whom went on to attain her own degree in music, has contributed significantly to my abilities as a teacher.