I’ve felt for quite some time the need to bring new voices onto this platform to help cover more events — running this outlet alone has been no small task. Well, big news! Rhetorical Review is thrilled to welcome Dennise — a classically trained pianist, dedicated educator, and the founder of Utah Piano Lab in American Fork, Utah — to our team as a new writer and contributor.
Dennise’s relationship with music began at age 8 in her hometown in northern Mexico, where she fell in love with the piano. By 12, she had added violin to her repertoire and was performing in school and community orchestras. At just 16, she began teaching younger students — a calling she has never set aside.
At 18, she moved to the United States to pursue a music degree, earning a Bachelor’s in Piano from BYU–Hawaii in 2011. During her college years, she taught piano at the Youth Conservatory owned by BYU–Hawaii, and continued in that role alongside teaching group piano classes after graduation. In 2014, she and her husband relocated to Utah, where she has since built Utah Piano Lab into the thriving studio she dreamed of creating as a teenager.
Dennise brings to her teaching a deep belief in the transformative power of music — not just as a skill, but as a source of confidence and joy. She is committed to creating a positive, encouraging environment where students are challenged in ways that make practice feel rewarding rather than obligatory.
Outside the studio, she is a mom to two daughters and two dogs and brings that same warmth and energy to everything she does.
I’m so glad to have her voice here, not only because of her skill and impeccable music taste but because she cares as much as I do about the arts and making sure they stick around. Stay tuned for her upcoming contributions, especially in music, including coverage of the Bachauer piano competition this week.
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