Background Information

I grew up in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. My love for the transmission of music stems from my upbringing in bluegrass and rural hymns in the community of Ottway, TN. From birth, I experienced music education in traditional Appalachian ways — storytelling, front-porch and community singing, and rote learning. I first experienced the joy of reading music in high school, where I earned top scores in All-East Tennessee and All-state. As a result of my early experience, I strongly believe in the power of the "home culture" to leverage aural transmission of musical skills that leads to strong music literacy

As a first-generation college student at Emory & Henry College, he began his college journey as a chemistry major. Instead, he enrolled in music courses. Here, he studied under Stephen Sieck, a well-known conductor and author of "Teaching with Respect: An Inclusive Choral Pedagogy." He graduated from Emory & Henry with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Music Education and French and a Master's of Music Education. His honor's thesis was titled, "Reading Between the Staff: A Queerology Approach to the Works of Aaron Copland."

After graduating from E&H, I was a Teach For America fellow in San Antonio, TX, where I taught elementary general music and orchestra at Highland Hills Elementary School (HHES) in San Antonio ISD. The chorus increased from 0 to 90 students during my five years and included four choirs: 3rd/4th-grade choir, 5th-grade choir, Bilingual student choir, and a faculty/staff choir. In SAISD, I also restarted and led the district's elementary strings program after a 30-year absence. I received over $110,000 in grants to supply instruments, supplies, instructional materials, and professional development.

While in San Antonio, I earned a Master of Music with emphasis in music education from the University of Texas at San Antonio. I studied with David Frego, Kristin Pellegrino, and Susan Dill. My thesis was titled, "Elementary music teacher perception and instruction of subdivision: A mixed methods study." During my time in San Antonio, I became an OAKE-certified Kodaly teacher and received extensive Dalcroze training from the nation's leading expert in Eurhythmics, David Frego, which culminated in certification in 2022. I left San Antonio ISD in 2017 to pursue a PhD in music education at The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, in 2017 and graduated in 2022. At Eastman, I studied with conductor and composer Dr. Philip Silvey as well as master teachers and researchers Dr. Mara Culp and Dr. Donna Brink Fox. In addition to teaching assistantships and working with the Treble Choir, I also taught elementary choir at Plank Road South Elementary School in Webster, NY.

After working at Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA, from 2020-2022, I moved with my spouse, two dogs, and cat to Brownsville, TX, to serve as an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. My undergraduate courses include: Introduction to the Music Teaching Profession, The Art of Teaching, and Elementary Music Methods. I also supervise student teachers, coach edTPA, and serve as the liaison to the College of Education. My graduate courses include: Music for Everyone, Research Methods in Music, and Motivation for Music Making. My scholarly work can be found in The International Journal of Music in Early Childhood, the Journal of General Music Education, The Orff Echo, and in books published by Oxford University Press and Alfred Publications.