From Stage to Study:
Composing a Career in Learning Design

Learning has always been at the heart of what I do. I’ve long been fascinated by the way knowledge, skills, and experiences shape our understanding of the world, and how we can intentionally design those experiences to help people grow.

As a musician, I’m always seeking ways to refine and optimise my practice. During my Bachelor of Music, one professor set me the daunting task of memorising over 500 jazz standards. The challenge felt enormous, and it sparked a fundamental question: How do we actually retain that much information? That was my first deep dive into the science of learning, and my realisation that learning isn’t a single event, but an ongoing process.

This curiosity opened the door to learning theory. I immersed myself in ideas from Watson’s behaviourism to Bloom’s taxonomy to Piaget’s constructivism, seeing learning as a living ecosystem, one shaped by motivation, time, patience, and desire. At the time, I was already teaching music in schools and offering private lessons to adults, but I wanted to go beyond simply delivering content. I wanted to truly understand how to help people learn.

That desire led me to pursue a Master of Teaching, a chance to deepen my grasp of how learning works. Each time I discovered a new concept or framework, I immediately applied it to my teaching practice, testing how it played out in real time. These experiments uncovered new ways to engage and motivate learners, and witnessing those moments of growth and improvement was the most rewarding part of my work.

Over the past decade, I’ve been privileged to facilitate learning experiences for a diverse range of learners across ages, cultures, languages, and professional backgrounds, including those with EAL needs and neurodiverse profiles. Each learner has taught me something new about adaptability, empathy, and the importance of creating safe, supportive environments. I’ve seen time and again that meaningful learning happens when people feel seen, understood, and encouraged.

Today, I feel fortunate to work in a field where my curiosity and creativity intersect. I bring a designer’s mindset to every learning solution, creating experiences that don’t just inform, but connect emotionally, because when learners feel something, the learning stays with them.