I am currently studying piano lessons at the graduate level to receive my Master of Arts in Liturgical music. I am a rehearsal accompanist at Saint John's University, and I frequently accompany for ma... sses and services as well. Alongside sacred music, my specialties are classical music and jazz. I have played in jazz ensembles for about seven years. At the end of my undergraduate studies, I completed my student teaching during the coronavirus, so I have experience with virtual lessons. I value student-centered lessons, so I want to help students to play the music that they want to play while also learning techniques to play fluidly and musically. I can prepare students for solo performance as well as accompanying.read more

Hello! My name is Emily, and I am originally from Dubuque, Iowa. I grew up in a musical family where my two sisters and I would sing and play music together. I have been singing and playing the piano ... since elementary school, and my love of music led me to study music education at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After graduating with Latin honors in the spring of 2021, I served in Ireland for two years. There, I directed liturgical music and taught religion in the primary schools. Now that I am back in the United States, I am pursuing my Master of Arts in Liturgical Music at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. I hope to graduate in spring of 2025 and become a classroom music teacher. Other than music, my hobbies include hosting events, playing card games, and taking advantage of the many speakers and attend concerts at my school. When the weather is warmer, I enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and canoeing. I take any opportunity that I can to swing dance, and I have seen through my many travels just how much music unites the world. One of my favorite things about teaching is that it is an opportunity to care for a whole person, not just their academics and skill. There is a saying that goes, "Music has a way of bypassing the brain and going straight to the heart." The most formative mentors that I ever had in my life were my music teachers, and I just hope to pass on that gift that I have received from them. The study of music is the pursuit of the heart, and I believe that the more you study it, the more you are able to express yourself and evoke emotions from the hearts of listeners. Music can be healing and unifying in that same way.read more