About

On this site, I share ideas, resources, thoughts and experiences on string music education in the 21st century. Originally called StringEdTech.com, the site was rebranded in 2015 and now focuses on traditional string pedagogy fused with technology and more. Most of my early presentations were centered on technology integration, however I now present on a variety of topics.

I have always been early adopter of the latest technology and have been dubbed “Mr. Gadget” by several friends. I have been a Mac user since 1992 and an iPhone user since its inception in 2007. I enjoy helping people with various aspects of technology, so don’t be afraid to contact me. While I can help with some areas of Windows, I am a Mac specialist and even spent a summer working at an Apple Retail Store.

For the first 15 years of my career, I was an orchestra director/string specialist in school districts in Nevada, Florida, and Ohio. I taught elementary, middle, and high school orchestra, and high school class guitar.  In 2012, I started a new career path in higher education as Assistant Professor of Music Education at Kennesaw State University but returned to the public school classroom in 2016. I spent 6 years as director of orchestras at Alpharetta High School in Fulton County, Georgia and started as director of orchestras at Lassiter High School in the Cobb County School District in 2022.

I earned my Ph.D. in music education with minor in educational technology from  The Ohio State University. My dissertation, The Effect of a Tonic Drone Accompaniment on the Pitch Accuracy of Scales Played by Beginner Violin and Viola Students, is a quantitative study that examines if a tonic drone pitch accompaniment effects the intonation accuracy of beginning-level players.

Additionally, I work for Hal Leonard Corporation as an Essential Elements clinician, consultant, and contributing editor. I also am an endorsed artist-educator for D’Addario Orchestral Strings and Eastman Stringed Instruments.

I am available to present educational sessions for your school, district, or state professional development conference.  My main focus is string pedagogy and educational technology. I also am an experienced orchestral conductor, clinician and adjudicator and love to work with honor, regional, and all-state orchestras.  Please contact me or visit my homepage to inquire more.

My goal is to keep this site updated with fresh new ideas and resources for practitioners to utilize in their own classrooms. I hope that it will be of use to you! Please feel free to comment if you found something useful, subscribe for further updates, or contact me if you have questions.  

Please also check out my podcast, The Orchestra Teacher, on Anchor.fm, Apple, Spotify, and Google. I love talking string stuff!