I love music and I love teaching and performing with students. I really enjoy when a student has a ‘light bulb moment’---and I hope I can continue to inspire those moments!
Biography
I have played the piano for 55 years. Although I am a Classical pianist first, I have played and will continue to play and teach all styles of music when possible. Before I began teaching college full-time, I was a full-time composer and producer of radio and TV commercials, plus I composed music for business films and national conventions, including a large amount of music for Disney Business Productions in Orlando, Florida.
Expertise
- Music Theory and Ear Training
- Classical Piano
- Jazz Piano
- Piano Improvisation
- Music History and Appreciation
- Composition and Songwriting
- Accompanying all styles of music
Awards
- 21 Addy Awards for local and regional commercial music
- 11 Telly Awards (national)
- Best Score at the Iowa Film Awards 5 times
- First Prize in the 1985 PMMO Sacred Composition Contest out of 185 entries
- Semifinalist, 2014 and 2015, for the American Prize in Orchestral Composition
Credentials
- M.M. in Piano Performance, University of South Dakota, 1985, plus 3 years of doctoral studies at the University of Iowa, 1985-1988.