I began teaching in higher education in 2007 after 10 years of teaching privately and as a subcontractor in various school districts. Throughout my circuitous career, discoveries were made, empathy was nurtured, and new conceptions of how and why learning takes place were formed. After moving from in-class to online, I began discovering and implementing new techniques and concepts in teaching fine arts but soon realized I was hitting a wall. I realized that it has become increasingly vital to develop and design online learning programs as educators the world over shift teaching to a virtual medium. I am regularly called on to help in this process, which led me to my goal: Using the framework of teaching music both in groups and one one-on-one, I intend to build a new model for teaching music online that does not replicate the in-class experience but creates a synergistic model incorporating elements from in-person and technologically-enabled learning experiences. Using music as the foundation for experimentation, I plan to broaden into all the fine arts. Finally, I will use my findings to create better learning modules and develop realistic and pioneering outcomes in a full-time, online teaching practice within higher education.

​Empathy, accessibility, equity, and design in the fine and performing arts are the thrust of my research in educational communication and technology.  To deliver inclusive, diverse, and accessible learning programs to students on a global scale utilizing the research and experimentation provided by this program would create a ripple effect that could be felt throughout many other fields of education. We arrived at the crossroads of online learning and student needs much sooner than anyone could have anticipated, thanks to a worldwide pandemic. By researching and building better learning environments in the fine and performing arts, new avenues of knowledge can be opened up and transferred to a myriad of subject topics.

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