About Me

 Hi, my name is Ari. I am a music, math and science educator living in Boulder, CO and have been teaching and tutoring students for close to 10 years. 

Math and Science

Since primary school, my academic strengths were math and science and I was always fascinated by the natural world around us. So perhaps it was no surprise when I focused on earth science and geophysics once in college. I graduated Northwestern University in 2014 with a B.A. and honors in both Earth Science and Environmental Science and have earned an M.S. in geophysics at the University of California, Berkeley.

I began my tutoring and teaching career as a private tutor and substitute teacher in the Chicago area after graduating college. I worked one-on-one with middle and high school students on their math and science school work and helped prepare them for the SAT, ACT, and AP tests. After two years, I moved to Berkeley, CA to begin a graduate degree studying the physics of minerals inside the earth. As a graduate student, I helped instruct courses for undergraduates, notably Introduction to Earth Science and served as an undergraduate research mentor for some of my students. Along with a group of fellow graduate students, I volunteered to design basic science lessons and share them at public schools in the Bay Area where science programs have been underdeveloped. Since moving to Boulder in 2020, I have worked privately as a tutor and as an adjunct math teacher in private schools.

Music

I have been playing music since the age of seven, when I started playing the piano. When I was 12, I shifted my attention to the guitar and have continued to focus primarily on string instruments ever since. In the past five years, I learned to play the bass guitar and upright bass in order to tour with a couple of bands, which has been a lot of fun and a major learning experience. These tours have taken me across the United States, to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Central America. Both with these bands and in my solo project I have recorded 3 studio albums, as well as a number of singles. At the current moment, I remain an active member of these bands while maintaining numerous collaborations with other artists both in the Denver area and around the world. I studied music in college, where I completed courses in music theory, composition, improvisation, and production. I have experience playing pop, rock, folk, jazz, blues, hip hop, R&B, funk, reggae, bluegrass, and country music, and am comfortable teaching any of these styles.

Other Interests

 I strive to balance my academic, creative, and recreational time in life. Beyond music and academics, I am also a dedicated outdoorsman and environmentalist. I love taking extended backpacking trips into the mountains, learning tracking and basic wilderness survival techniques, and simply running the trails near my house. I am passionate about understanding how our planet and ecosystem work and taking steps to make sure it remains a healthy place to live. I find that having these diverse interests have not only enriched my life, but have helped me find the inspiration to excel in each of these worlds. Ultimately, I believe that teaching with this balance of creativity and discipline develops the strongest and most self-motivated students.