Known as a passionate improvisor with a strong belief in the healing power of music, Means is an engaging performer and teacher. She has shared the stage with jazz masters and GRAMMY winners Danilo Pérez and Luciana Souza; saxophone masters Dave Liebman and George Garzone; the great arrangers Bill Dobbins and Greg Hopkins; “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” drummer Max Weinberg; Lamine Touré & Group Saloum; and multi-platinum Israeli artist David Broza, among others.
Means has graced stages worldwide as a band leader at festivals including the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, Cork Guinness Jazz Festival, Red Sea Jazz Festival, and Monterey Jazz Festival. In addition to her work at MIT, she serves as an Assistant Professor at Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute and the Harmony department, as well as serving as a faculty for New England Conservatory jazz programs.