A Denver native, she taught public school vocal and general music in grades K-12 for nine years in Colorado and Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Colorado in Boulder as well as Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education specializing in the Social Foundations of Education. Current research areas include K-12 music curriculum development, teacher identity development, and neurologic processes of music literacy development. She is well-published in the field of music education and presents at national and international conferences annually.