When did you first realize you loved music?

I've loved music for longer than I can remember, but I remember a watershed moment when I discovered the Beach Boys at age six. They were the first band "for grown-ups" that I fell in love with, and I quickly became obsessed with their vocal harmonies and the complexity of their arrangements, especially their mid-60s work on albums like Today!, Pet Sounds, and Friends. Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE came out when I was nine, and I played it on repeat to try to understand all of its musical layers. If I had to pick one album to take to a desert island, it would be the Smile Sessions box set from 2011. Brian Wilson's work made a huge impact on my understanding of music as a craft. Seeing him and his band perform live in 2017 is one of the best live music experiences I've ever had.

When did you begin studying music?

I began informally learning guitar at age 11 and diatonic harmonica ("blues harp") at 13. I took a few months of guitar lessons through my town's Parks & Rec, and after that I learned from a combination of YouTube tutorials, online tabs, and just playing by ear along with my favorite recordings. I began studying music more formally at Wellesley College, almost by accident! I came intent on studying political science and doing music as a side hobby, but during orientation, I met Cercie Miller, the director of the Jazz & World Music Program. When I mentioned offhand that I play harmonica, she encouraged me to audition for the jazz ensembles. I would spend the next four years taking jazz guitar lessons from Steven Kirby, an incredible instructor who guided me in building my skills in sight-reading, harmonic analysis, and arranging for small jazz combos. I had no formal harmonica lessons until my mid-twenties (the first person I paid for lessons from was the incredible Catriona Sturton), but up until then, I spent a lot of time getting curious and exploring how I could apply the scales, chords, and improvisation strategies I was learning on guitar to the layout of the harmonica. My time at Wellesley gave me incredible confidence in my musicianship that I definitely didn't have as a teenager. In college, I also spent a semester abroad in Spain and took lessons in Sevillanas-style guitar, which is related to Flamenco. I didn't pick up the ukulele until my early twenties, but by then I was able to apply the knowledge I had already gathered about guitar and music theory to become proficient in it, or at least proficient enough to teach it.

Who are some of your favorite composers or musicians?

My favorite harmonica players include Junior Wells, Sonny Terry, Paul Butterfield, Rachelle Plas, Christelle Berthon, Drea Van Allen, Howard Levy, Aki Kumar, and of course, "the Walters" – Little Walter Jacobs and Big Walter Horton. I've also had the immense privilege of being mentored by Jason Ricci and Annie Raines, as well as spending time learning from Ross Garren and Ronnie Shellist. When I'm playing jazz solos on harmonica, I try to borrow from the language of jazz trumpet, so Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan have been significant influences on me. The biggest influences on my guitar playing include Chuck Berry, Wes Montgomery, Albert King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan; lately, I've been trying to learn more R&B guitar in the style of Steve Cropper. My favorite jazz standards to play on any instrument include tunes by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Charles Mingus, and Duke Ellington. And obviously, Brian Wilson!

Do you play any other instruments?

During the pandemic, I got the cheapest electric bass I could and figured out how to hold down some simple grooves. I'm investing more time in practicing it now so that I can be more useful to the musicians I collaborate with and sub in if they need me. I own a four-string banjo and can play some simple rhythms/melodies on a five-string banjo. I own a chromatic harmonica, but the muscle memory for it is very different from that of a blues harp, and I'm still figuring out how to navigate it more fluidly. As a frequent music director for the Fork & Shoe Theatre Cooperative, I've had the chance to dip my toe into a lot of instruments (glockenspiel, spoons, marching snare) and get familiar enough with them that I can use them in the soundscapes of the productions I work on. People tell me I have a great voice; I'm my own worst critic of my singing, but when people compliment me, I'll take their word for it!

What is the best advice you can give your students?

Always practice with either a metronome, a backing track, or another musician. Playing the right notes in the right order is only one piece of musicianship; the real magic happens when you're tuned into a groove and present with the beat, whether that's provided by a recording or another person. Everything you play, from the simplest exercise to the most complex harmonies, can sound very groovy when you apply your confidence and your best sense of timing.