Teaching Statement
I am passionate about helping students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds find creative expression and connection through music. My teaching combines strong clarinet fundamentals with improvisation, contemporary techniques, and diverse repertoire to tailor lessons to each student’s unique musical journey.
Education
Kelsey completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in clarinet performance in 2024 at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where she studied with Dr. Margaret Donaghue and Mark Nuccio, served as the Graduate Teaching Assistant and Henri Mancini Fellow, and presented her research in multimedia approaches to contemporary music performance. She also holds a Master of Music in clarinet performance from the University of North Texas, where she studied with Dr. Kimberly Cole Luevano, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in clarinet performance from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied with Dr. Elizabeth Gunlogson. She is a proud alum of the Manchester Community Music School, where she studied with Stephanie Jenkins.
Teaching/Performance Bio
Kelsey performs as a member of the NODUS Ensemble for contemporary chamber music in Miami, and as a teaching artist with the Newfound Chamber Winds in Norfolk, Virginia. She serves as clarinet faculty for the Manchester Community Music School and Timberlane Regional Performing Arts Center, and as adjunct faculty at the University of New Hampshire, where she also teaches annually at the Summer Youth Music School. She is a freelance performer in New England, and has recently performed with the TUNDI Wagner in Vermont Festival.
While completing her doctoral studies in Miami, Kelsey served as the adjunct professor of clarinet at Florida International University, taught annually with the Nu Deco NXT Youth Ensemble, performed with the Festival Napa Valley Orchestra, and appeared with the New World Symphony and Symphony of the Americas. In 2024 she traveled to Panama City, Panama as a teaching artist for the Alfredo de Saint Malo International Music Festival, and was featured as a concerto soloist with the South Florida Clarinet Choir.
Previous to living in Miami, she maintained a freelance private lesson studio of about 50 middle and high schoolers in nationally acclaimed band programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Her students have received high honors at solo and ensemble festivals and have placed in district, region, and state ensembles.