​​My relationship with music began in Illertissen, Bavaria, where I became organist at St. Martin at the age of thirteen. Playing for services, weddings and community occasions taught me an early lesson that has remained central to my work: music is not only something we study — it is something we create together.

I later studied organ and piano at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and worked professionally across theatre, cabaret, jazz and other performance settings. These experiences strengthened my belief that musicianship depends not only on technique, but also on listening, adaptability and shared responsibility.

 

Learning Through Different Musical Cultures

A major turning point came in South Africa, where teaching and performing brought me into contact with musicians and students from very different backgrounds. It challenged the idea that previous experience should determine who can participate meaningfully in music.

Over the following decades, I taught and led music programmes in schools across several countries and educational systems, including IGCSE, MYP and IB. Again and again, I encountered the same reality: one classroom may contain complete beginners alongside experienced musicians, all using different instruments and bringing very different levels of musical knowledge.

 

Why IMPACT Developed

This led to a central question:

How can one teacher create meaningful musical progress when students do not begin from the same place?

Over time, practical solutions developed through classroom experience: shared ensemble repertoire, differentiated instrumental parts, progressive notation, listening and theory connected directly to performance, peer mentorship, assessment over time and increasing student responsibility.

These ideas gradually became IMPACT.

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IMPACT was therefore not created first as a textbook or commercial curriculum. It grew from the practical challenge of making mixed-ability, mixed-instrument classrooms work musically while maintaining both inclusion and high expectations.

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What I Believe

I believe students should not have to wait until they are considered “good enough” before experiencing real music-making.

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A beginner playing one secure tone can belong to the same musical experience as an advanced student performing harmony, improvisation or a more demanding part. Their responsibilities may differ, but both contributions can have genuine musical value.

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For me, successful music education is visible when students listen to one another, understand their musical role, take responsibility for their contribution and gradually become more independent musicians.

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That is the idea at the heart of IMPACT.

 

Professional Background

My work includes music teaching, curriculum development and departmental leadership across international and national educational settings. Professional development includes Cambridge IGCSE Music School-based Assessment training, IB Diploma Programme Music Category 1 and Category 2 training, and the COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders.

 

Explore the IMPACT Framework →