About the Clarinet Instructor
My commitment to inclusivity: Feeling valued and included is key to being engaged. The culture I aim to create is one where inclusion is not an initiative, and where there is a deep sense of pride, passion, and belonging. Diversity of ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds always leads to better and stronger creativity.
Teaching clarinet is a huge part of who I am. I’ve been teaching in Portland Oregon since 1992, but even before that, I was teaching clarinet to unsuspecting middle schoolers while I was still in high school. While I have a Bachelor's and Master's degree in clarinet performance from the University of Oregon, it’s been my 30 years of teaching that has been the most fulfilling. Currently, I am the clarinet instructor at Lewis and Clark College and run my own private clarinet studio. It’s so often said that music is our voice, and as a teacher, my goal is to guide you to find that voice- YOUR voice. You might not know what your goals are, don’t worry, we’ll figure that out! I have been a professional clarinetist for years, performing in orchestras throughout the Pacific NW, and have played chamber music with my own group De Rosa Chamber Players as well as other groups in town. While playing professionally has been amazing, exciting, and often actually sometimes awesome, now I love to play and perform music with my friends in more casual settings. I also deeply enjoy being a chorister for my church, leading the congregation in singing beautiful hymns. I’m also the Program Director for an amazing arts non-profit Vibe of Portland, and you can find the link in the site’s table of contents.
That is my voice now, and it is ever-evolving. I believe making music should never make you uncomfortable, it should be the one thing that lets you speak to and with the world in a language that is uniquely you.