What I Do

I recently graduated with a master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy. Even though I am an alumnus of SMU, I'm still a student in music theory, and I plan to graduate with this degree in December of 2006. Currently, I am just writing my thesis. I'm done with all of the coursework for my second master's degree! My thesis is about Beethoven's compositional tendencies in the recapitulations of his piano sonatas. It's a very exciting topic for me, especially since I have played 7 of the 32. Now, I get to analyze each one of them.

The M.M. in piano performance and pedagogy directly addresses my desire to become a better performer and teacher. I have studied piano pedagogy with Dr. Peter Jutras and Dr. Samuel S. Holland. The internship part of the degree was directed by Dr. Catharine Lysinger and Mr. Mattthew Kline. At SMU, I have been blessed to participate in such a strong and nationally-renowned performance and pedagogy program. The M.M. in music theory is a major part of what I do at SMU. I study music theory with Dr. David Mancini, Dr. Martin Sweidel, and Dr. Norman Wick. This degree is directly connected to piano performance and pedagogy in several aspects: by becoming a better theorist and thinker about music in general, and the performance repertoire I choose for my students and myself, I can become a better performer and teacher. My main goal is to strive for excellence in music-making and in teaching, and studying music theory is a very necessary part of the achievement of my goal. With both degrees, I am obtaining experience with the latest technology in MIDI, digital audio, and digital video editing: these are also essential tools in today's world.

I study piano with Prof. Alfred Mouledous, a tenured professor at SMU, who has been teaching for 50 years.

The teaching side of my degree is lots of fun and complex. I teach in four different settings:

· Children and adults in private lessons

· Children in group lessons

· College students in private lessons

· College students in group lessons (class piano and music theory courses for music majors)

The internship in the performance and pedagogy included all of the above, and it helped me to enter the process of learning how to become a better teacher through assessment of plans for the future, post-assessment of previous lessons, observation of master teachers, constant evaluation on my own teaching, analysis of plans and video tapes, practice in teaching, performance of pre-college teaching repertoire, video masterclasses, accountability to the director and associate director, and a video portfolio of my best teaching.

I am now teaching at Dallas/Music, a wonderful music learning community just a few blocks away from SMU.

I am also a university adjunct professor. When I studied my first master's degree, I taught class piano for two years at SMU. This gave me experience working with college students. My desire to integrate music theory with teaching piano (in the class piano setting) inspired me to study music theory. This master's degree in music theory has enabled me to teach university courses to undergraduate students. Dr. Barbara Wallace offered me a position as adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University, my alma mater, and I gladly took it! Now, I am a professor of music theory at DBU. This fall, I will have two sections of Introductory Musicianship. In the next semesters, I would love to continue teaching class piano, and anything else related to piano and music theory. It is a joy to do what I love every single day!

On Sundays, I play at church for two Masses. This ministry/job has really helped me learn how to work with others well, as well as completely eliminating any kind of stage-fright whenever I play in front of people. I love performing! I came to the realization that God is my only audience, and if anyone else likes what I do, that is secondary. My primary goal is to please my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

During my free time, I spend a lot of time with friends, especially during the weekends, and that helps me bring balance into my life.