As far back as I can remember I have had a passion for Music. Throughout my youth I have explored a variety of musical genres and learned how to play many instruments, but always returning to my love of playing drums. Even before entering High School I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in music. I first learned to play music by ear on the piano at a very early age and carried this over to the guitar, saxophone and flute. I then enrolled in formal music lessons for many years in piano, guitar and drums in order to improve my technique and increase my understanding of the instruments.

​

​

Early on and during these musical lessons, I discovered my gift of perfect pitch which I believe has helped me in playing many instruments. I formed my first band in grade 5 which revealed my enjoyment of performing in front of large crowds.  In High School I joined the Loyola Concert and Jazz bands and took great pleasure in participating in many talent shows and community events such as TOPS, and Talent nights with my band. My interest in Jazz began in High School where I played in a quartet and performed at many formal school staff and social occasions. This quartet has played at various events for Loyola High School, allowing me to expand my appreciation for Jazz while continuing to develop my skills and technique on drums.

​

 

My teachers at Vanier College have done a great job in giving me, and many young aspiring musicians the feeling of what it is like to strive and work hard to make music sound professional. I was very happy to receive the Music Entrance /Drum Set Scholarship in my first term at Vanier as well as the Louis Contant Interim Drum Set Scholarship in the fall of 2016. My experience at Vanier has enabled me to grow musically and appreciate many different genres of music. The Vanier combos that I have performed with have given me a taste of what it is like to work with others, and explore a variety of musical tastes and genres from small ensemble swing and Latin Jazz to R&B, fusion, funk, rock and pop.  

​

​

I joined the West Island Youth Symphony Orchestra (WIYSO) in 2016 as a percussionist. This experience has allowed me to appreciate classical music and gain valuable personal experience with respect to playing in large musical ensembles and formal musical performance, not to mention the sight-reading, interpretation and response to the gestures by the conductor in communicating to the musicians. I had also temporarily rehearsed in a Big Band as I love to perform swing music. Since my first year at Vanier College, I have always wanted to experience the feeling of playing large ensemble Jazz that is very flamboyant and involving a variety of brass instruments. One day I hope to play in the Montreal Jazz Festival.

​

​

My pursuit of classical percussion in WIYSO has not only strengthened my musical development and versatility, but has also opened the doors for a lifetime opportunity of joining the Orchestre Symphonique des Jeunes de Joliette (OSJJ) on their trip to the Charentes-Maritimes region of France in the summer of 2018. As a result of WIYSO collaborating with OSJJ during the Association des Orchestres des Jeunes du Quebec (AOJQ) festival during Easter of 2018, this international music experience has created me some more musical connections on a much larger scale, performing at the Eurochestries festival in Pons, France, with youth orchestras from Mexico, Spain, Russia, Estonia, China and the Ukraine.

​

​

Studying my instrument in the Jazz program at Concordia University under the private instruction of Jim Doxas is now and always incredibly beneficial to developing my Jazz sound and swing feel. Knowing that he is one of Montreal's greatest Jazz drummers and most likely the greatest drum instructor I've ever had the opportunity to learn from, his lessons and advice play a vital role in my technique and versatility on the drums. My Jazz learning and performing experiences at Concordia have also led to more musical connections, especially with Wednesday night jams at the Upstairs Bar.

​

​

My experiences in WIYSO and OSJJ have been crucial to my development on the percussion side of drumming, gaining me the opportunity to further my musical studies in solo/chamber/orchestral percussion at McGill University. Under the instruction of expert Montreal percussionists such as Fabrice Marandola, Shawn Mativetsky, Kristie Ibrahim and Alexandre Lavoie, I have gained a significant sense of discipline and confidence onstage. These teachers have pushed the boundaries of my comfort zone introducing melody, hand-eye coordination with an emphasis on limb independence and muscle memory which I would never have acquired from anyone else.