Michelle began her piano studies at the age of 5 in New York City. She was first introduced to teaching in 1999 by her mentor Lisha Paper Lercari, as an intern in New York City public school classrooms with the Music And The Brain program. During this experience she realized that teaching music would become a lifelong passion. In 2006 Michelle received her Bachelors of Arts in Music and Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Her degree tied together interests in music as well as study of the mind and brain, language, and learning. While earning her music degree, Michelle studied counterpoint and composition with the late Jorge Liderman and performed in the West African Music Ensemble under the leadership of Ghanaian master drummer CK Ladzekpo. After teaching piano part-time throughout college and in the years following, she decided to dedicate herself to creating and teaching music in the San Francisco Bay area. Michelle is an active member of the Music Teachers’ Association of California. In addition to playing and teaching, Michelle enjoys playing tennis, practicing yoga, traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
