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About me                      

 

I am a music education researcher and teacher whose interests include both traditional music making like band and choir as well as non-traditional music making practices like rock bands, mediated music, and participatory music practices that are often seen in informal music learning and participatory culture.

 

As a practitioner, I started teaching at a small suburban private K-12 school where I taught general music, choir, drama, worship band, and physical education. After getting my masters degree, I went to a rural school where I taught 6-12 choir, drama, ukulele, and guitar. I then went to an urban K-8 school where I directed a highly competitive show choir and taught general music and choir. I have taught the following courses at the collegiate level: conducting fundamentals; music for elementary teachers; introduction to technology in music education; and education and technology reform. I have assisted in the following courses: teaching choral music; and introduction to music education. I have also supervised student teachers.

 

As a researcher, my interest was piqued when I learned about informal music learning written about by Lucy Green. I wrote a master's thesis on one young man's journey of becoming a YouTube musician. This research spurred my classroom and subsequent research. Most of my research has to do with how people are using YouTube to learn and make music. I have been looking at how informal music learning and participatory culture can be incorporated into the classroom. I have looked at how virtual identities and online communities are formed. I have explored how musicians use the internet to consume, create, and share their craft. I have also been looking at how collaborative video logs can be used to develop a sense of identity and community within the classroom.

 

As a performer, I have two predominant venues. Musical theater and YouTube video creation. My most recent online endeavors can be found on this YouTube playlist. In the live venue, I often am seen on the musical theater stage and behind the scenes as a director. I also take any opportunity I can get to play ukulele, usually as the coordinator of a participatory music making session like that of the Homebrew Ukulele Union founded by one of my mentors, Matthew Thibeault.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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