About Lisa
Music Education and Performance
I am a music educator, performer, and composer residing in Concord, NH. I have been playing, teaching, and performing music for over 30 years.
I enjoy teaching all ages and abilities. In the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work extensively with the adult and senior community, enabling lifelong music education and performance experiences. I have a special passion for working with adults and seniors, and am adamant that opportunities for making and learning music should not end when we "age out" of the traditional education environments.
I currently teach out of my home studio in Concord NH, and in Belmont NH. I am the Director of Jazz Studies at New England Adult Music Camp, located in Sidney, Maine.
I intend to keep learning, teaching, and performing music for the rest of my life, and aspire to help others do the same.
College and Beyond
I attended the University of Rochester, and earned a degree in Applied Math (Physics) in 1988. During this time, I continued my music studies in clarinet and violin at the Eastman School.
After college, I pursued a career in computer science research and development. I worked for many great companies, including Thinking Machines, Sun Microsystems, and Oracle.
Throughout my career in technology, my love of music never waned: I played in various musical organizations wherever business took me (California, Virginia, Massachusetts, and finally, New Hampshire). I also decided to take up the saxophone, and seriously study jazz performance and composition. This led to a position leading the jazz program (small ensembles and big band) at the New Horizons Band of the Lakes Region (Laconia, NH).
The Future Sounds Good
In the spring of 2016, my youngest child graduated from high school; in the fall of 2016, I enrolled in the University of New Hampshire as a music major, where I finally got the opportunity to finish that music degree I started so long ago! I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Music Education from UNH in May of 2020.
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In 2016, I founded Contemplation Jazz. The group performs regularly throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
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In fall 2020, I took a position teaching at Concord High School in Concord, NH. I direct the Concord High School Orchestra, and also teach a class in the History of Jazz and Rock.
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In 2022, I accepted a position as Camp Director and Director of Jazz Studies at New England Adult Music Camp.
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The First Notes
My formal music instruction started when mom enrolled me in a Suzuki violin program at age 6. In third grade, I added clarinet and piano lessons to my schedule, and was enrolled in the preparatory program at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
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I attended high school in Miami, Florida, where I played both violin and clarinet in the Greater Miami Youth Symphony. I was named principal clarinet in the Florida All-State Orchestra for 3 years running, and also participated in state and district band festivals.
