Many know that you are a North Allegheny alumni. What is it like to teach at a school you once attended?

I feel like a totally different person than I was when I was a student here. Although many things about the school are the same. A lot of the staff are still here and many of my former teachers are now my colleagues. Personally, it has helped my transition because I know, having come through this program, what the expectations have been, so whenever I make changes to anything I am very aware.

From these first weeks of school, in what ways have you noticed a change in North Allegheny since you attended as a student?

The use of technology is totally different. We didn’t have smartphones and we didn’t have laptops. We weren’t really allowed to use phones in school at all. I’ve noticed a big shift in that.

What did you study during your years at Penn State? What has your career consisted of before becoming a teacher at NA?

I first went to Penn State as an undergrad in Music Education. My focus instrument was voice and the curriculum for that was all classical. Another focus for me was high school choral. So I studied choral literature, private voice, and choral conducting. I also studied diction for singers in German, Italian, French, and Latin. I performed in a ton of operas and choirs. Then I student taught in Harrisburg at Central Dauphin, and I was expecting to really like it, but I had this little bug in my ear about performing. However, within my first week, I just fell in love with working with high school kids. I had grad school interviews for opera and ended up canceling them all because I loved working with high schoolers. And as it turned out, I went back for my masters and studied voice pedagogy and performance.

In terms of performance specifically, what types of music and styles have you pursued? What is important to you about each?

I actually started performing as a guitarist in a high school rock band. We weren’t great, but we had fun. I had always been in choir and liked singing. Then in college it was almost all classical, so I sang in operas and recitals. I did some jazz on the side and in grad school I did musical theater. I have actually had an interesting trajectory as a performer because I started out as a baritone in undergrad and then in grad school I sang as a countertenor, which was mostly falsetto, and that’s unusual.

What made you want to apply for this position? How do you feel that teaching and conducting in a classroom setting could be beneficial to you?

Well, this is obviously one of the best schools in the country and one of the largest choir programs in the state.  There is a longtime tradition here of really excellent music-making. I’m inheriting a program that functions really well. I am a different musician and have some different ideas, but this program will mostly be about maintaining what works and expanding.

Ernie Pontiere is personally responsible for the large, talented choral program NA has today. What is it like to inherit his “choral empire”? Any struggles or pressures?

This is something that most choral directors dread and is oftentimes the hardest part of many people’s careers, taking over for somebody who really built a program. Generally, it’s difficult, but Mr. P has been incredibly supportive towards me and the changes that I want to make. I know he announced at the concert and in class that change is a good thing. His faith in me has gone such a long way, and I feel that the students just really embrace the things that I do differently. It’s really incredible.

Do you have any specific plans for furthering the reach of the choral program here at North Allegheny? If so, what is your focus for the year?

One of the things that I have a big focus on in the classroom is music reading. We’ve already begun singing songs with solfege where I don’t play the parts first. It’s really important to me that students learn skills rather than just repertoire. It’s also really important to have a variety of opportunities to perform, to widen what we do outside of the concerts. For instance, we’re starting a cabaret in October. It will give kids a chance to sing solo in a different setting and with their own repertoire. I’m also trying to implement social media for the choir so we can do some PR, post some videos, and communicate updates.