I currently perform with Vic Ferrari Symphony on the Rocks and am a business owner. I left university teaching in 2015 to focus on my growing company Aerial Dance which has now expanded to two locations in northeast Wisconsin. My research interests currently focus on strength training in the scapulo-thoracic region and active flexibility training, applying to all my passions: bassoon performance, musician health and wellness, and the aerial arts (pole, hoop, silks, hammock).
An entrepreneur at heart, I’ve founded two companies: Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition, Inc. and Aerial Dance. My background in business was established at Northwestern University and Indiana University during my degrees. In June 2013 I resigned as director of the BCMCC and moved to an advisory position on the board so I could pursue other ventures. The new director, Susan Nelson, has done an outstanding job taking over the BCMCC and I’m so proud of all the organization is accomplishing!
Formerly a university lecturer at St. Norbert College and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, I taught music business, bassoon, oboe method, injury prevention, and music appreciation. In my three years at UWO I increased the music business course offerings by 66% by writing new curricula on hot topics in the field.
My love of teaching has lead me to become a group fitness instructor, American Council on Exercise certified. While researching functional strength training as an injury prevention opportunity I came across Pole Exercise and fell in love at first spin. In 2010 I opened Aerial Dance to share my fitness love with women in the Fox River Valley. I’ve also used my injury prevention knowledge to help other dancers by collaborating with ETEDance for their instructor training curricula which have been approved by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.
A very active person, I love the outdoors and the water. I’m an avid scuba diver, PADI Rescue certified, having spent more than 9,173 minutes under the sea. I also surf, water ski, and windsurf. If I’m not on stage or in a classroom you can usually find me exploring the ocean or at Lambeau Field.
Scuba Diving with a Weedy Seadragon in Sydney
Holding Wizard the Wombat
Hiking in Tasmania
At Lambeau Field with my mom
Golfing with my dad