ABOUT ME
I'm a music educator specializing in early childhood music and also a researcher, interested in interdisciplinary research that encompasses music, education, psychology, and culture. My research centers on the psychological and social aspects of everyday musical experiences in diverse populations. Currently, I'm a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Haskins Laboratories, Yale University, studying the effects of singing on infants and caregivers at the Music Lab (PI: Dr. Samuel Merh). I'm also working on a research project on music learning and positive youth development at the University of Southern California (USC), being partnered with Fender Play Foundation and Los Angeles United School District. Additionally, I am involved in the International Research Symposium on Talent Education (IRSTE) Research team, part of the Suzuki Association of Americas, and also in the Experimental Acoustics Research Studio (EARS) at the University of California, Riverside (UCR).
I received my Doctor of Musical Arts in music education from USC in 2018, where I was a recipient of the Thornton School of Music Honors Convocation, Virginia Faber Endowed Music Education Scholarship and the Pi Kappa Lambda Award. My dissertation examined the relationships between small ensemble experience, empathy, and emotional self-regulation, under the supervision of
Dr. Beatriz Ilari, Dr. Peter Webster, and Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang. During my doctoral study, I was involved in several research initiatives, including the USC Brain and Creativity Institute for a longitudinal research project on music and the brain (PI: Dr. Assal Habibi) and AIRS: Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing. I hold a Master of Arts and a Master of Education in music and music education from Teachers College, Columbia University in addition to a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Keimyung University, South Korea.
As an active early childhood music teacher and a cello instructor, I have taught music to learners of all ages
from early childhood education centers, K-12 schools, colleges, music studios, and community music programs in South Korea, New York, and Los Angeles for the past 15 years. My research is largely rooted in my own teaching experience with the goal of improving young people's music learning and
musical development.
I'm currently based in Los Angeles, CA, enjoying life with my husband and two quickly growing children.