Academic Life
My quartet in Grade 6. I am the one on the far right playing the flute.
I started music in elementary school at École Curé-A.-Petit in Cowansville, Qc. To be honest, I hated music. I didn't understand it at all. I remember crying almost every class because I was failing and didn't understand a word of what was going on. Once we started learning the recorder in Grade 2, I started enjoying music classes a bit more. Instruments were like second nature to me. By then, my grand-parents had bought me a tiny keyboard and I had started learning on my own with methods books. In Grade 4, students were allowed to register for band. At first, I didn't want to join because all my friends kept saying "band is for geeks". My music teacher caught me in the hallway during recess one day and told me he really thought I should consider joining l'Harmonie Cadette Davignon. That moment changed the rest of my life. Sure enough, I joined the band. I played clarinet in Grade 4 and 5, and switched to the flute in Grade 6. I played in many concerts, parades, and festivals (FHOSQ, Concours Solistes et Petits Ensembles). In high school, I was part of the Académie de Musique Massey-Vanier for five years. This is where I started playing oboe. I also played trumpet in the jazz band in Grade 7. I switched to jazz piano in Grade 8 and stuck with that until Grade 11. Starting in Grade 8, I took private piano lessons outside of school for 2 years. In the concentration program, I performed in many concerts, parades and festivals (FHOSQ, MusicFest Québec, MusicFest Canada, Jazzfest des Jeunes du Québec, Festival International de Jazz de Montréal) every year. After graduating from high school, I moved to Montreal in 2008. I went to Vanier College to study music majoring in the oboe. During my two years in CEGEP, I performed with small ensembles and large ensembles in and out of school. I played with Vanier College Concert Band, Le Grand Orchestre de Chateauguay, The Knowlton Harmony Band, and was a sub for my teachers in a few other ensembles. After Vanier, I moved on to McGill University. I am currently finishing up my second year in the Concurrent Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education still majoring in the oboe. I am a member of the Music Education Undergraduates Students' Association as VP Finance.