A California native, I was born and raised in a small mountain community before attending the University of Southern California, graduating in 2018 with degrees in music and history. My senior honors thesis examined the formation of England’s national musical identity during the Edwardian age (1890-1914) through a study of folk song publications and music education reforms in British schools.
During my time at USC, I taught music in South Los Angeles public schools and developed and executed music literacy programs for secondary-school students. My work with two public radio stations both on-air and in the community helped improve access to Western art music for historically underserved populations. During my six-month residency in Dresden, Germany, participating in professional and amateur performing groups provided me an international perspective on community music practices.
My MPhil thesis examines music programmes for migrants in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Through fieldwork conducted in Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf, I investigate how communal music-making can realise the German government's goals for migrant integration.
I am deeply grateful to the generosity of Mica Ertegun and the Ertegun Scholarship Programme for making my studies in Oxford possible. The stimulating and supportive environment fostered within the Ertegun community will broaden our perspectives and greatly enrich our studies in the humanities. I hope to continue Ahmet Ertegun’s vision of bringing people together through the world’s music.