Modern Music Education & Creative Innovation

Challenging traditional pathways through creativity, technology, community, and experiential learning.

Throughout my career, I have been interested in expanding the boundaries of what music education can be.

While deeply rooted in traditional music education, I consistently found myself asking new questions. What happens when contemporary music-making is treated with the same rigor as traditional performance? What happens when students are invited to create rather than simply reproduce? What happens when recording studios, songwriting, production, entrepreneurship, technology, and community building become part of the learning environment?

Rather than viewing modern and traditional approaches as competing philosophies, my work has focused on creating bridges between them.

Whether through contemporary a cappella, popular voice pedagogy, music production, recording arts, collaborative creation, or community-centered learning, I have sought to create environments where students can engage with the realities of today’s creative landscape while developing the artistic excellence, leadership, and critical thinking skills that have always been central to music education.

At its core, this work has been about challenging the status quo in service of greater access, relevance, and opportunity for students.

Western Guilford High School

Challenging Traditional Pathways

In 2017, I entered Western Guilford High School as the program’s seventh substitute teacher following the departure of the previous choral director.

What I discovered was not simply a music program in transition—it was a community searching for stability, trust, and connection. Rather than beginning with curriculum, I began with relationships.

By creating opportunities for student voice, ownership, collaboration, and creative expression, we rebuilt trust while expanding what students believed was possible inside a traditional choral program.

Over time, the program grew from roughly 30 students to more than 120 participants while fostering a culture centered on belonging, excellence, experimentation, and leadership.

Many of the ideas that would later shape my work—including community-centered learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and student-led creative experiences—were first developed and tested during this period.

Reimagining Music Education

As student interests continued evolving, so did my understanding of what music education could become.

I became increasingly interested in how contemporary music creation could coexist alongside traditional music education and how schools could better prepare students for the creative industries they were already engaging with outside the classroom.

This led to the development of learning experiences centered around:

Songwriting, Music Production, Recording Arts, Live Sound, Audio Engineering, Podcasting, Digital Audio Workstations, Creative Entrepreneurship

Rather than preparing students solely for performance, the goal became preparing students for participation in the broader creative ecosystem.

Venom & Sting Acapella

Contemporary Music Making in Traditional Spaces

Inspired by my own experiences in contemporary a cappella communities, I founded Venom and Sting to create opportunities for students to engage with contemporary music-making in ways rarely seen inside traditional secondary music programs.

Students explored arranging, recording, performance, collaboration, and artistic identity through contemporary repertoire and original creative work.

Rather than prioritizing competition, these ensembles emphasized ownership, creativity, risk-taking, and personal growth.

Venom & Sting recorded a Debut EP "Hive Minded" featuring students of all ages from Western Guilford High

Penn-Griffin School for the Arts x Notes 4 Notes

Building New Possibilities

In 2020, I transitioned into a new role focused on entertainment technology and modern music production.

Working alongside Guilford County Schools and Notes for Notes, I helped facilitate the development of a multimillion-dollar recording studio and Modern Music Production Program at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts.

The program was designed to expand access to contemporary music education through hands-on learning experiences rooted in creation, collaboration, and real-world application.

Students gained opportunities to explore:

Recording Arts, Music Production, Songwriting, Engineering, Podcasting, Live Performance, Entrepreneurship, Creative Collaboration

The resulting environment became one of the most unique music education spaces in the region, giving students access to professional tools, industry practices, and creative opportunities that had traditionally existed outside public education.

Innovation in Practice

Throughout my career, I have worked to expand access to contemporary music-making, creative technology, and experiential learning opportunities within educational spaces. By challenging traditional assumptions about what music education can be, I have helped create environments where students can engage with creativity as active participants rather than passive observers.

Recognition

Two-Time GRAMMY Music Educator Award Nominee
CMA Foundation Give A Note Award Recipient
Guilford County Schools Rookie Teacher of the Year (2018–2019)

Program Development

Grew participation in the Western Guilford Choral Program from approximately 30 students to more than 120 students.
Developed innovative student-centered opportunities through contemporary vocal ensembles, creative projects, community partnerships, and experiential learning experiences.
Introduced contemporary music-making, popular voice techniques, collaborative creation, and student leadership opportunities into traditionally structured music education environments.

Educational Innovation

Helped develop and launch the Modern Music Production Program at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts.
Helped facilitate the development of a multimillion-dollar recording studio through a partnership between Guilford County Schools and Notes for Notes.
Expanded access to recording arts, songwriting, music production, engineering, podcasting, live sound, and entertainment technology education.
Created learning experiences that connected artistic development with real-world creative industry practices.

Partnerships & Collaboration

Guilford County Schools, Penn-Griffin School for the Arts
Notes for Notes
Western Guilford High School
North Carolina Music Educators Association
Regional arts organizations, educators, artists, and community partners

Areas of Impact

Modern Music Education, Creative Technology, Music Production, Entertainment Arts, Contemporary A Cappella, Popular Voice Pedagogy, Recording Arts Education, Student Leadership Development, Community-Centered Learning, Creative Entrepreneurship

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