Further to completing my Bachelor's Degree in Music and PGCE in Goldsmith College, London, I began my teaching career in Elliott School, Putney which has a great history of producing successful musical artists. During 2006, I spent my time travelling and developed my own interests in world music by collaborating with a number of musicians worldwide and collecting video and audio recordings of music and dance in countries like Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ethiopia, Malawi, India, China, Thailand and Indonesia.
After returning to the UK I was Head of Music in a new Academy in London for where I was committed to the organisation of ECA's and providing enrichment experiences for all students but as they say, "Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote", so I volunteered in India as an ESL teacher, working with Tibetan refugees. This helped give me experience of teaching in a school outside of the UK setting to students with a range of language needs. In 2010, I came to Thailand and moved into International music teaching.
I welcomed the challenges of providing education for all and especially those of motivating students both in and through music. I became a music teacher at St Andrews International School in 2017 as I knew a number of people here who spoke very positively about the inclusive nature of STA and its warm and vibrant community. As a woodwind specialist and saxophone player it was great to learn that every student here is given a musical instrument which enabled me to teach to my strengths.
Since then I've gone on to become the Head of the Performing and Visual Arts and hope to encourage and support the faculty to become the best it can be. STA's links with Julliard are very exciting and open up a wealth of opportunities for all our students. I am particularly enthusiastic to see the employment of innovative teaching strategies to enliven the music curriculum and engage pupils who may find music challenging, as well as those for whom it is a joy.
In my free time I produce and create music, my main instrument is the saxophone and you might see me performing at different events around Thailand and South East Asia. I'm also a keen scuba diver and like to get out travelling and explore different cultures and communities (once I've had my coffee!).
It fully supports teachers to be creative and treats them as experts in their field, providing professional development opportunities to keep pace with the new teaching methods and helps us deliver an exciting and innovative curriculum to students from every background.
"It has been a pleasure learning with you. You have enlightened me with a lot of music stuff and helped me come to a realization of what I truly am passionate about". former Year 13 Student
"Thanks to your support and valuation. You were open in the beginning about what to expect and you were objective. I am grateful for what [student] learnt, because it did give him a good base for a wider understanding of occidental and oriental cultures. It also provided him with the knowledge about European cultural history, which will serve him well in the years to come". Year 13 Parent
"You may not know it but you had an amazing impact on my life... I loved spending time in music class" former Year 13 Student