First, it is a privilege to be a part of the RSMS staff and culture. I believe that every child has the potential to be successful in music, and I foster a program that offers rewarding opportunities that take a chance on themselves and push themselves to grow.

A little about me, I did not come from a family of musicians, but music was important to us. It was something we enjoyed in our everyday life. There wasn’t a day that went by where I would not hear music coming from somewhere around my family, so when I asked my mother if I could join the band in 6th grade at Mac Williams Middle school, there was no way she was not going to do her best to support me as I explored deeper something we took for granted and enjoyed each day. It was there that I was able to gain world-class instruction from my first directors, Felicia MacNaught (“Mama Mac” as we called her) and Mr. Mark Mabe. Both of them saw the spark and joy their class brought out of me, and by the time I was in 7th grade, I was already teaching. I would stay after school and tutor 6th graders, along with some of my other classmates. This was a weekly habit that I thoroughly enjoyed up until I graduated high school. The things I enjoyed about band the most were simple: I was able to go on PLENTY of field trips and after-school activities. We would play for the middle school football games in the fall, go to All-County and All-District clinics, and sometimes we would perform for MASSIVE crowds at educator workshops. I worked hard to improve, taking in any advice I was given from my teachers, and I made first chair in All-County and All-District consistently year after year. I also had the privilege of making All-State each year, and I earned first chair twice. Before I get too far ahead, I have to talk about the influence my high school director, Mr. Michael Williams had on me. At Cape Fear High School, Mr. Williams encouraged me to push my limits even further, and coached me to become an even better instrumentalist than I even thought I could be. It was under his direction that I was privileged to have attended the North Carolina Governor’s School summer program and performed in the Atlanta Falcons stadium  and at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in Bands of America Competitions. My senior year of high school, I was taken under the wing of our choir teacher, Mr. Jason Britt, to expand my horizon beyond instrumental music, and began working on my vocal skills, which proved to be a blessing, as I continued to perform vocal music all through college. I was a member of UNC Greensboro’s vocal ensembles, two a-capella groups, “The Chariots” and “The Sinfonians”, I was a member of the choir in the church I attended, and I sang the national anthem twice for local high school sports events. I graduated from UNCG in 2020 with my Bachelors in Music Education, and have been professionally involved in music education ever since!