EDUCATOR
My teaching philosophy begins with clarity: students deserve clear expectations and a structured foundation. I emphasize technical and conceptual fundamentals in early coursework, not as rote learning, but as the necessary groundwork for meaningful future growth. A solid base allows them to build creatively, critically, and confidently.
What I value most — and strive to cultivate — is curiosity. It’s the spark that drives students beyond the classroom, toward self-directed research, creative risk-taking, and long-term artistic growth. In a profession that can often grind down enthusiasm, curiosity is what preserves passion. It’s what keeps the work alive.
I also believe deeply in peer mentorship. I place senior students in leadership roles, encouraging them to support and guide junior students. This not only reinforces their own learning, but fosters empathy, patience, and confidence — essential traits for collaborative artists and technicians.
When students engage with strong foundations, paired with curiosity and a sense of responsibility, they reach a level of inquiry where the questions deepen, the stakes rise, and the teaching becomes truly transformational.
SOUND TRAINING PATHWAY
My sound curriculum is designed as a progressive learning arc that guides students from foundational skills to realized creative leadership roles within our department’s public production season. It begins with Drama 291 (Introduction to Sound for Theatre), where students learn the basics of audio signal flow, EQ, dynamics, and playback software — all framed through hands-on exploration and real-world problem-solving. This course lays the groundwork for fluency with essential tools and systems.
Students then advance to Drama 292 (Intermediate Sound for Theatre), where they take on the complexities of digital mixing, FX routing, and TheatreMix scene automation. Here, they begin to understand how sound design functions in a full production workflow — integrating their technical knowledge with script analysis and DCA planning. Finally, in Drama 394 (Advanced Sound Design for Theatre), students complete a full-semester capstone project, crafting a realized sound design from concept to cue delivery, often tied directly to a departmental production.
This pathway is not theoretical. Students who complete this stream are eligible for our most advanced practicums: serving as Head of Audio (Drama 490 C3) or Sound Designer (Drama 490 C7) for Studio Theatre productions, or designing for the Bleviss Laboratory Theatre (Drama 490 C2). These roles carry real creative and technical responsibility, offering students the chance to work alongside faculty, directors, and design teams on fully produced public work. My goal is to equip students with both the artistic sensitivity and the technical mastery to thrive in these environments — and beyond.
