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You could say that music is one of my passions, but those words aren't entirely adequate--music is a part of me, one of the ways in which I both express and define myself; for me, home is a piano in a dark room. I've been singing, writing, and playing that instrument for almost my entire life.

But there's a problem with classical training: the ability to improvise doesn't come naturally. You spend so much time learning how to read someone else's music, how to interpret the piece correctly based on compositional style and era that you don't learn how to create the tapestry yourself, no matter how strong the Muse. Enter my freshman year at the University of Michigan and a new instrument: the guitar. I'd wanted to play for years, but when I finally sat down with the strings I found total anarchy--suddenly there were no key signatures on manuscript filled with black dots to guide me: all I had were chords. "But how do I figure out how I'm supposed to strum this?" "Just do what seems to fit." What? After my confusion passed, the proverbial new world opened its doors to me. Two months later, I performed my first original song.

Now this singer-songwriter thing has consumed a large part of my life, and I'd be happy to have it overwhelm more. I count 80 songs in my catalogue and released a four-song EP in 2004 entitled First Verse (why only four songs? Because studio sessions are expensive). Currently I'm working on my first full-length album, though we haven't yet set a release date, and I recently moved to the wonderful city of Chicago. The rest of my time goes to a "minor" obsession called swing dancing--I've danced in cities around the country and taken workshops and lessons with nationally and internationally respected instructors; writing both articles and creative work (I currently edit the Movies section of RelevantMagazine.com); freelance graphic/web design; and a bit of modeling. I graduated from the University of Michigan with an AB in English Language & Literature and Theatre & Drama--concentrations considered impractical in the so-called real world, but hey, I haven't hit the real world yet. And I hope I never do.