My piano training began just after I turned 6 and I began piano lessons with my teacher, Mrs. Davison. Lessons cost $2.50 at that time! Growing up in rural central Illinois, I attended small schools that allowed me to become involved in choir, band, and accompanying—things that laid the foundation for what I do today.

In 1982, I moved to the Kansas City area to start college and thinking that I was not “experienced” enough to be a music major—I began to pursue an Elementary Ed. Degree, but detoured every semester or year to another major as nothing seemed to really “fit” me. For my first four years in college I continued to study piano and voice and travel with the college choirs and summer PR music teams. It finally dawned on me at the beginning of my senior year that I really loved all areas of music and that it was time for me to study the thing I really wanted to do! In 1988, after two more years of study, I graduated with my degree in Music Education.

I began teaching elementary music at Berean Christian School in Olathe, Kansas and had a wonderful experience. My second year there I began to teach the high school choir as well and started a band program. I especially enjoyed getting the opportunity to direct the high school musical each year as well as the elementary seasonal programs.

It was during this time that I worked also at a bookstore where my future husband Scott also worked. We were married in 1991 and have three children—Andrew, Charis and Ethan.

I stopped teaching school after I was married, thinking that I would be a stay at home mom who taught a few piano lessons on the side. After a few years of married life, Scott began talking about going back to school to finish his degree. I knew to make this happen, I would have to pitch in a bit more with the income, but wanted to still remain flexible around his and my children’s schedules. I heard about a piano school in Lawrence, KS that used the Harmony Road Curriculum where kids learned piano in a class setting. But it was so much more than that! The curriculum incorporated so many of the things I loved about teaching school—singing, rhythm instruments, music history, movement, plus a strong emphasis on ear-training which is missing from most piano study. When I went to visit the school, I was hooked immediately and knew this was what I wanted to do! I flew to Portland, Oregon to take the class training in July of 1997 with the curriculum’s creator, Jan Keyser. In September, I began my first Harmony Road Classes at the Schmitt Music Center in Overland Park, Kansas.

During the last nine years, I have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful students and their families. I love the classroom “vibe” and look forward every week to not only getting to share my love of music, but also seeing what each student will contribute to the classroom dynamic. Pianimals/Kc Piano Zoo has been featured in the local media on KMBZ 9 News and Fox 4 News as well as in the Olathe Daily News. In 2005, I added a second location at The Culture House in Olathe and I continue to look forward to seeing what the future brings for the school.