Jan is a cellist and music teacher based in the Greater Phoenix area. A native Arizonan, she grew up primarily between the cities of Chandler and Mesa. Jan started playing the cello at age nine through her elementary school’s orchestra program in the Mesa Public School district. As she continued to take orchestra beyond 4th-6th grade, her passion and love for cello playing truly ignited upon entering the orchestra program at Dobson High School.

Under the direction of Mr. Rob Lubbers, the program inspired her to tap into more of her potential as a musician and work hard towards uncovering these artistic capabilities. Furthermore, it is also thanks to this cherished time spent in high school orchestra that she was intuitively led to study music in college.

Jan received her Bachelor of Music (BMUS) degree in Performance (Orchestral Instrument), with an emphasis in Cello, at Arizona State University — studying primarily under Tom Landschoot. Other mentors from her undergraduate studies include previous graduate teaching assistants: Gina Choe and Daniel Kim. With this musical expertise, Jan is immensely passionate about her performing and teaching endeavors on the cello. She enjoys learning new pieces and adding them to her ever-growing repertoire. Additionally, as a cello teacher, she loves being part of students’ musical journeys, as they grow and develop their skills in ways that are personable, comfortable, and inclusive to each student.

Outside of cello playing, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, thrifting, traveling, collecting CD’s, playing video games, roller blading, and community ice skating. A fun fact you should know about Jan is that she loves unicorns.