About Me
I am beyond excited to be teaching Chorus and 7th Grade General Music here at Otto Shortell Middle School. Up until this year, I have been teaching Elementary Music and Chorus for Oneida City Schools since 2000.  Over those years, I have worked with countless wonderful young musicians, and thoroughly enjoy watching them grow.  I received my Bachelor's of Music Education with a concentration in  Vocal Performance from The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, and my Master's Degree in Childhood Education from SUNY Cortland.  I was a 1996 graduate of Oneida High School, and am a proud OCSD alumni.  I live here in the district with my husband and two sons.  

Concerts:
All concerts at Oneida High School in the Auditorium at 7PM
All black attire for all performances (jewelry, ties, subtle personal accents are fine)
6th Grade Chorus:
Holiday Concert December 4th 
Spring Concert May 20th
7th Grade Chorus:
Holiday Concert December 11th
Spring Concert May 28th
8th Grade Chorus:
Holiday Concert December 11th
Choral Showcase Concert February 27th
Spring Concert May 28th

After School Chorus: 
We are very fortunate in Oneida to be able to offer an after school rehearsal for those students who want to sing in chorus but cannot fit it into their schedule. These rehearsals will occur during 10th period on Mondays throughout the school year. Students may ride the late bus home, or get onto the sports bus for practice immediately following rehearsals. As long as students are able to attend the majority of these rehearsals, they will be able to join in with our chorus at the Holiday Concert in December and our Spring Concert in May. They will not receive a report card grade for chorus in the first two semesters (or as long as they are not enrolled in chorus during the regular school day).  However, if they would like to participate in auditions for our All County Chorus in January, they will need to be a member in good standing of our after school chorus group in order to qualify as being enrolled in our school's choral program. 

We will begin after school rehearsals for chorus on Monday, September 16th. If you would like your child to participate, please remind them to attend and check in with them throughout the year.  Those students who have been at the majority of our rehearsals and are prepared will be invited to join our chorus at the December 11th 7/8 Concert (even if they are in 6th grade). 

7th Grade General Music:
This course meets every day for one semester.  During this time, students will explore musical elements using ukulele, Garage band, and keyboards, as well as a variety of classroom instruments and listening examples. At the end of our keyboard unit, we will invite family and school staff to attend an informal piano recital during our music class. We will be looking at the role of music in the world around us, and explore the power of music to serve as a soundtrack for visual story telling. In addition to studying and watching a classic musical, students will also explore careers in music and do a "soundtrack of my life" project.