About me… and why I play the ukulele
Hi! I’m Nancy. I love making music, and I love playing - and teaching - the ukulele!
I have been playing musical instruments for most of my life, starting with the flute when I was nine years old and then studying the oboe. I majored in music at Davidson College and then continued private study with world renowned oboists Louis Rosenblatt and John de Lancie. Then I went on to perform professionally for three decades. As an oboist I have played and appeared as a soloist with symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles in the Philadelphia region, New York, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I have extensive teaching experience - including adjunct collegiate instructor positions - and throughout my career I have worked to inspire students of all ages, from young children to senior adults.
I also am an ISA Certified Arborist, writer, and educator connecting people with the importance of caring for and preserving trees in our communities and our natural world.
My own ukulele journey
I found the ukulele later in my life when a friend of mine gave me an ukulele that had belonged to her dad. She wanted the instrument to keep being played and asked if me if I would be interested in trying it. I took it home, tried it out, and it didn’t take me long to find exquisitely beautiful music in this tiny instrument. Before I knew it, I couldn’t put it down.
Completely enchanted, I was drawn to learn everything I could about playing the ukulele. I sought out teachers and have taken lessons with Samantha Muir, Rob MacKillop, Aldrine Guerrero, and Joe Todaro. I also enrolled in the James Hill Ukulele Initiative’s Ukulele Teacher Certification Program and became a Level 3 Certified Ukulele Instructor.
My ukulele outreach
Through my teaching I want to share the incredible impact that the ukulele can have on people’s lives. It magically instills happiness - and it gives us hope and a sense of joy that we can share with others. More than teaching, my studio is a mission of musical outreach - to show that the ukulele is an instrument that can empower us to make our communities - and the world - a better place.