Welcome to the Boys & Girls Club Columbia Center Rotary Branch Music & Arts Center (MAC).  As an experienced educator and acclaimed artist, I am very excited to be a part of the MAC. Through your support the MAC will continue to be an excellent resource for arts education in the Tri-Cities while simultaneously serving the community with the Boys & Girls Club mission.   

My vision for the MAC is simple.  Fun programs will be designed to expose members to a broad range of music and arts subjects.  Programming will increase club members’ aptitudes and foster intellectual development, teamwork, character, creativity and social interaction.  The MAC will encourage members and parents to explore their interests while simultaneously exposing them to a whole world of artistic possibilities.  We will listen to our kids and parents in determining which programs to offer. 

My experience in the arts is very diverse.  I started studying piano at age 5, but my musical experience began much earlier.  Vinyl records, tapes, and the radio, were all important sources of musical inspiration during my youth.  For me, playing the pots and pans in the kitchen was just as valuable as formal piano lessons.   

My collegiate educational experience and past teaching experience has given me a number of models from which I will build programming at the MAC.  Recently I completed field research for my doctoral project in Pelotas, Brazil where I observed and performed with an escola de samba as they prepared for Carnival.  Individuals and families from all parts of the city came together to celebrate their heritage and culture through music, dance, and theatrical art. 

Most importantly I am familiar with the Tri-Cities community.  I grew up and attended school in Pasco before continuing my undergraduate education at Pacific Lutheran University and Eastern Washington University.  Shortly thereafter, I earned a Masters degree in Music Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  I have taught and continue to support music at many Tri-City area schools and I am currently serving as the Principal Percussionist for the Mid-Columbia Symphony. 

I look forward to meeting each of you when you come to pick-up or drop-off your child just to say hello.  It is my understanding we have had an Advisory Board and I would like to reconstitute it.  I encourage you to offer suggestions for programs that you would like to see at the MAC, and we will try to implement them.