I was born and raised in south central Pennsylvania between Harrisburg and Gettysburg. I started piano lessons at the age of 4. In 7th grade I became a church organist and started playing in the school jazz band. In 9th grade, my tennis coach asked me to give his daughter piano lessons and that’s what started a long teaching career. By the end of high school, I had saved enough money from my teaching, church services, dinner theater productions, and assorted community performances, that I paid the balance on my college tuition (after my scholarship for liturgical organ studies) for the first two years at West Virginia Wesleyan College. During college, I accompanied all the other voice and instrumental majors for their performance recitals and taught students from several community families while also serving as the organist for an Episcopalian Church.

After college graduation, I accepted a job in Miami, Florida in the criminal justice field. This was the only time I was without a piano and did not teach piano lessons! After two years, I decided hot, sunny beaches and being in the middle of Liberty City and Little Havana was not for me and returned to Pennsylvania. I started teaching again at a local music retailer’s store and within two years, opened my private music school – called Harmony Plus Music Studios. After three years I had outgrown the space and moved into a new building, changed the name to KeysTone Music Academy and added
10-12 independently contracted teachers.

In 1992, my husband and I moved to Denver where I started up teaching at the Kawai music store in downtown Denver. I remained with them until 1995 when my family (now including 2 daughters) moved to Morrison. While my girls were young, I continued teaching neighborhood students from our home until my daughters’ after school activities started to rev up. Then I chose to stop teaching so I could be a mom and an active participant in their interests. They were both involved in orchestra, choir and band – so I ended up serving as an accompanist for many of their productions, including several theatre pit orchestras! Plus serving on numerous committees that escalated to serving as President of the D’Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School Education Foundation.

I am so grateful the opportunity presented itself to move my studio to Achord Music Studios. My students and I are thrilled to be here!