Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a musical household, beginning my training at the age of three through the Suzuki Method alongside my mum and siblings. From there, I continued with singing and violin lessons throughout childhood, and from age twelve to eighteen I trained in vocal technique under the guidance of Gina Sanders.

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Like many classically trained musicians, my early education was technically strong but left little room for creative freedom. While I loved music, I hadn’t yet discovered how expressive and personal it could be. That changed when I moved to Bristol in the UK and fell in love with the jazz scene. The art form opened an entirely new way of experiencing music for me, one rooted in listening, spontaneity, collaboration, and self-expression.

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During my time in the UK, I immersed myself in jazz education and community music-making, attending workshops such as the Edinburgh Jazz Summer School, Bristol Musicianship Workshops, and songwriting intensives. I became a regular at jazz jam nights around the city and studied jazz vocals and guitar with a range of teachers, learning music not just as a discipline, but as a living, breathing language.

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When I returned home to Aotearoa, I enrolled in the Jazz School at the University of Auckland in 2022, where I completed my degree and deepened both my performance practice and academic understanding of music. I now work as a full-time musician, specialising in jazz performance. I have played at community events in Auckland, cocktail bars and private events.

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Alongside performing, teaching has always been central to my work. During my studies, I researched the role of music in children’s brain development, and this has strongly shaped my approach as an educator. I believe music offers far more than technical skill—it supports cognitive growth, emotional expression, confidence, and connection. There is a depth to musical experience that I feel we have only begun to tap into in New Zealand, and I am passionate about helping bring that to our communities.

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I currently run musical sensory classes and work with young students in a self-led, exploratory learning environment. While I have a strong foundation in music theory, I believe theory is best taught practically—through listening, movement, play, and real musical experiences. My aim is to help students not just learn music, but to truly experience it as something creative, empowering, and uniquely their own.