Acorn Piano Studio

My formal piano studies began at the age of 5. With two older siblings already taking lessons, I was incredibly eager get started.  I was so drawn to the sound of the piano, my mother never had to tell me to go practice. I would frequently skip off after dinnertime to improvise long elaborate pieces with the sustain pedal down the whole time. I wanted to be IN the music.

I had the good fortune of taking lessons from Melissa Thomas and Josianne Lefebvre at the Preville Fine Arts Centre (PFAC) on the South Shore of Montréal . Here I had ample opportunity to study, perform, and participate in Masterclasses with prominent McGill and UdeM piano faculty such as Kenneth Woodman and Jacinthe Couture. My early piano education was free and exhilarating. At PFAC, founding director Belva Thomas instructed the teachers to simply and creatively "teach the children all they need to know".  This meant I was not restricted by grade levels or categories. 

At age 14 I played the Bach G minor concerto with the newly formed PFAC string ensemble. Prior to that, I attended Camp Musicale de Lanaudière for several summers, and at the age of 14 was the youngest piano participant at the summer program at the Centre d'Arts d'Orford studying with Sr. Natalie Pepin. By the middle of high school I knew I wanted to make music my career.

In 1994, I graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance with distinction. At McGill, I studied I with Armenian pianist Zabel Manoukian who was teaching an approach to the piano centered in the body that promoted ease and fluidity of movement. This approach unleashes the most unique, authentic and powerful sound from the pianist.

Following my years at McGill, I got married, moved to Vancouver and had three beautiful children. During my years on the west coast, I maintained an active teaching studio, worked for two summers as a music director at the Ailanthus Centre for Performing Arts for Inner City Youth,  directed the Vancouver Children's Choir's prep choir and boys chorus for a season, founded the St. John's Children's Chorus in Squamish, and spent years as the director. After moving to the South Okanagan in 2009, I worked as the artistic director for the Penticton Academy of Music where I continued to teach private piano lessons. I also directed the Penticton Youth Choir, worked extensively as a collaborative pianist for instrumentalists and singers at local and provincial festivals and for RCM exams, and spent 6 seasons as the director of Musaic Vocal Ensemble.

From 2015 to 2018, I studied with and was mentored by Madeline Bruser, founder of The Art of Practicing Institute. Madeline dedicates her teaching to unlocking pianists' potential, helping them overcome performance anxiety and injuries (both physical and emotional) by incorporating mindfulness techniques. Her ground breaking book "The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart" has inspired countless musicians. You can learn more about her approach at www.artofpracticing.com

In 2017 I moved to Toronto with my husband and was hired as the music director at St. Philip's Anglican Church in Etobicoke.  Not long after we moved to Toronto, I began volunteering as an assistant to the music therapist at Silver Creek Preschool, serving children with special needs. In 2021, Silver Creek hired me as the Educational Assistant, a position I held until June 2024. In this role, I gained hands-on experience working with children with special needs and learned a great deal about how music plays a central role in their development.

During the pandemic, I began composing music for the community of St. Philip's for use in their liturgies. I am excited to be delving into composition and look forward to seeing where this leads me.

Wherever you are on your musical journey, I hope you will join me at the Acorn Piano Studio as we explore, learn, and grow together.