MMus, MA, BMus, BA, ARCT

After completing her Associateship of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Performance (ARCT) as a teenager, Heather obtained a Bachelor of Music in Performance and a Master of Music in Piano Literature and Performance at Western University. She was primarily taught by Dr. Damjana Bratuz and secondarily by Ronald Turini (who studied under Vladimir Horowitz). She received the prestigious London Music Foundation Scholarship for piano performance and graduated on the Dean's Honour List. Heather rounded out her education by obtaining a Master of Arts in Philosophy and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at the University of Toronto.

Heather has taught piano for over 30 years and Alexander Technique for 25 years. She accompanies and collaborates with other musicians and makes time for adjudicating the occasional music festival competition.

Her piano students have won national RCM exam awards and national competitions, as well as university entrance music scholarships.

She is a member of ORMTA (Ontario Registered Music Teacher’s Association) and CFMTA (Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations).

While at Western University, her piano professor recommended that she take some Alexander Technique lessons to help with postural problems at the keyboard. This began a life-long passion and exploration of the Technique. 

Heather had 12 years of Alexander Technique lessons before entering the 3-year, 1600-hour, teacher-training course in Toronto. She has been a CanSTAT-certified Alexander Technique teacher since 1998. Heather continues to take post-graduate professional development workshops to further her understanding of the Technique.  She has also studied with Alexander Technique teachers Rivka Cohen, Nelly Ben-Or, Caren Bayer, and Ruth Kilroy.

Heather is currently working on a book on the Alexander Technique at the piano, entitled, Freedom and Flow: The Pianist’s Guide to the Alexander Technique.

After chairing the Professional Conduct Committee of Alexander Technique Canada (CanSTAT) for numerous years, Heather was elected as its President in 2018. She also serves on the Secretariat of ATAS (Alexander Technique Affiliated Societies).

Heather has also worked and volunteered in the non-profit sector for over 30 years - initially in the arts sector, with the National Ballet of Canada, Canadian Opera Company, Ontario Ballet Theatre, and Arts Etobicoke. She co-founded the Healing Cycle Foundation, which started with $5,000 in seed money and grew it from a grassroots organization to a provincial-level registered charity that raised $2.5 million for hospice palliative care organizations across Ontario. After serving a ten-year term as President & CEO of the foundation, she is now volunteering with small non-profit organizations as a consultant. Her extensive volunteerism was recognized when she was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in 2018 by the Governor General of Canada.