I founded my music studio, Markard Music, in 2015 to offer early childhood music classes and private piano lessons to students of all ages on the East End of Long Island.  I yearned to deepen my own teaching and expand my studio, so I went back to school and earned my Graduate Certificate in Music Education and Autism from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music in 2020.  In 2019, I also joined the faculty of the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs (the BIAESN) and I became the Director of the Beethoven Ensemble at the Boston Music Project (BMP).  In both of these roles, I teach a wide range of students with exceptionalities.       

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Since then, I have grown exponentially as a music educator.  In 2020, I undertook the role of SEL Specialist at the BMP, where I have co-created and piloted a 36-week SEL-informed music curriculum for K-6 students, and I was invited to join the administrative staff at the BIAESN, where I currently lead program development initiatives, write music curricula, and serve as a faculty mentor.  I am regularly invited to facilitate professional development workshops for arts educators in the Greater Boston area, I routinely present my work at the BIAESN's ABLE Assembly Conferences, and I frequently contribute posts to the BIAESN's official blog post, ABLE Snapshots.     

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Eager to serve a much broader population of students, parents, and education professionals, I have also expanded Markard Music through the years.  My studio is now inclusive, offering general music classes and private piano lessons to students of all ages, levels, backgrounds, abilities, and exceptionalities.  I now serve students on the East End of Long Island and in the Boston area.  In 2019, I established IncludED, my professional development practice, offering professional development workshops to education professionals, parents, and homeschoolers.         

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and differentiated instruction are cornerstones of my teaching.  These philosophies are reflected in the lesson plans I design, the materials I create, the classes I teach, the students I inspire, and the parents and professionals I support.  My students experience learning in safe, nurturing and engaging spaces that are designed to educate the whole student while building music literacy, fostering a life-long love of music, facilitating social-emotional development, and cultivating critical life skills.