It’s that time of year when my students make the decision about where to go for college.
(I was going to write about past studio showcases, but this is more important.)
This year I have three students who are pursuing arts career tracks and have gone through a rather grueling audition process. They had a multitude of choices, but made their decisions.
Nick Johnson has been working with me since June 2019.
A very fine tenor and actor, Nick had been on a musical theater track but made a sudden switch late last summer to pursue composition (although he intends to keep performing). He was accepted to prestigious programs at Hofstra, Columbia Chicago, Hartt, University of the Arts, and Berklee. And his decision was:
Sela McMullen is a terrific soprano who I expect to be singing in opera houses all over the world someday.
Her facility with coloratura is impressive and her range is outstanding. She’s worked with me since 8th grade, when she was preparing her audition for Carver Center. She was accepted at multiple colleges, including Susquehanna, Salisbury, Moravian, and Westminster Choir College at Rider University. Her decision was:
Juliet Jones began working with me on May 3, 2016, when she was a fresh-faced 6th grader preparing to audition for Leader of the Pack at Roland Park Country School.
I remember the exact date, because later that day, I posted this to FB:
“I’m often nervous when working with a new student in a “trial” lesson because I’m afraid they’ll be scared off by my weirdness/intensity. This kid walked in and said, “It smells like pesto in here,” and I said, “Oh, we’re having an early Cinco de Mayo dinner and my husband is making chili,” and she said, “OH! Today I made up a Cinco de Mayo song for my advisor – it went ‘CinCO de May-O! CinCO de May-O!”
— I’m not worried.”
(My husband wonders why he was using pesto in a chili recipe.)
A force of nature, Juliet was accepted in the BFA Acting programs at Western Michigan University, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and DePaul University. After touring the two midwest schools, she ultimately went for:
Congratulations to all three of these students, who are not only Mezzoid Voice Studio members, but also students at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. I am honored and consider myself so lucky to have had them as members of the studio these past few years, and I wish them the best of luck in their studies!
