I grew up in a very musical family. My mom is a pianist/organist/choir director/accompanist extraordinaire. My dad is in the Chicago Master Singers. My older brother was a trumpet player in several symphony orchestras before switching to a career in business. I grew up surrounded by music, so I began to play piano when I was quite young. I started taking lessons at age four, and I continued studying piano, from a variety of wonderful and distinguished teachers through college. I was awarded a double music scholarship for piano performance at Elmhurst College. I majored in music and psychology, and graduated summa cum laude in May 2007. In college, I took courses in music theory, piano performance, piano pedagogy, educational psychology, and developmental psychology. I began teaching piano lessons during college. In addition to teaching, I have been an accompanist for church services, high school choirs, voice recitals, and musical theater. I continue to learn as much as I can about teaching piano by reading, discussing piano repertoire and methods with other teachers, and attending meetings and lectures.