Music has always been an important part of my life. From singing with my church children's choir and listening to my dad play his trumpet to get ready for his alumni band, I've been surrounded by music for as long as I can remember. But the journey from then to now really started when I picked up the trumpet in 5th grade.

I continued the trumpet until high school when I decided I also wanted to try the school choir, having been singing with my church choir for years. Pretty soon I was in every musical organization that Cuyahoga Falls High School had to offer: Symphonic Band, the Gold Tones Jazz Orchestra, Marching Band, A Cappella Choir, the M&M's Show Choir, and the spring musicals. I was playing and singing everywhere (sometimes at the same time), and the joy that music brought me led me to decide to pursue music education after my graduation in 2001.

In 2001 I enrolled as a freshman music education student at The University of Akron. I continued both singing in choirs and playing trumpet in bands, but by about my third year I realized that I had too many things on my plate and needed to focus my attention on just one area. After much deliberation, I chose to continue with vocal music education. With the guidance of Dr. Samuel Gordon and Dr. Ann Usher, I graduated Magna Cum Laude in May of 2007 with my Bachelor of Music in Education. During my undergraduate years I received many awards and honors (listed in my resume), and I was prepared to begin my teaching career the next year, but I felt that I had much more to learn about the true art of choral music, so I became a graduate assistant to Dr. Samuel Gordon and began work on my Master of Music in Choral Conducting.

As a GTA, I was able to hone my teaching and conducting skills while also stretching my artistic abilities. While my undergrad had given me the skills and information needed to be a school choir director, I feel that my masters gave me the skills to become a choral artist. Working with Dr. Gordon to prepare the university choirs for performances allowed me to simultaneously gain valuable choral rehearsal experience and develop my artistic senses. My musical palette was continuously challenged and expanded. The summer of 2009 was truly life changing. In June I married the love of my life, Valerie. Then in July I was offered my first job. Finally, in August I graduated with my Master of Music in Choral Conducting and immediately began my first teaching position at the West Geauga Local School District.

They say your first teaching job is an education in and of itself, and they were right! My very first class was an 8th grade choir of 127 students! To say I had some learning to do was an understatement. But over the course of six years I was able to develop my own teaching style and create some memorable musical experiences for my students. I taught both middle school and high school choirs and directed the spring musical productions, and I cherish the memories I made with those students. And as much as I loved what we had built, an opportunity arose in 2015 that I felt I had to pursue. The vocal music teacher position at the Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts had opened up. It was a program I had the pleasure of observing during my undergraduate years. One of my professors told us that we all had to observe there at least once to see what was possible with middle school students, but to be aware that we would probably never have a job like that. I almost didn't apply, but my wife convinced me to go for it. And I'm really glad she did.

Since 2015 I have been the vocal music teacher at the Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts. In my time there I have had countless amazing experiences with my students and colleagues, too numerous to list here (though you can read about many of them in my resume). I continue to push my students to the highest levels of performance, and their efforts have been rewarded at numerous competitions, festivals, and other prestigious events. You can find out more about my program at the Miller South Vocal Music Program website.

In addition to my career as a teacher, I have maintained an active professional singing career since 2005. You can read a detailed list of my professional performance experience in my resume, but some of the highlights include several European concert tours with Singers Companye, performing at BLU Jazz+, and a recent performance at the ACDA National Convention with the Cleveland Chamber Choir. I also freelance all over northeast Ohio in a wide variety of styles (from Bach to Rock, as they say). If you are interested in having me sing for your event, connect with me.