Briefly describe your current employment or educational activity. What led you to this opportunity after graduation?

Currently, I teach private voice and piano lessons either remotely or in-person in Rochester, Minnesota. In the fall, I am going to start teaching general elementary music in some of the public schools, which I am very excited about! Since I graduated during COVID, I knew my job was most likely going to be remote, but I'm still grateful for getting a job in my field. 

Describe one or two ways that your UNI graduate program prepared you to excel in your current profession or research.

The main way the UNI graduate program prepared me to excel in my current profession is through my voice lessons and coachings, and the vocal pedagogy course I took. They all, in some way or another, helped me learn how to teach singing and various repertoire to my students. I would also say that being able to perform in all of the UNI Opera productions helped because stage time is always invaluable, but I learned how to prepare a character, which is another tool I can teach to my students. 

Name one or two faculty/staff members who had the most positive influence on your graduate experience at UNI. How did these faculty/staff members influence your time at UNI? (mentorship, intellectual challenge, etc.)

Dr. Jean McDonald and Dr. Korey Barrett were two faculty members who had the most positive influence on my graduate experience. I was lucky enough to have Dr. McDonald as my voice teacher during my three years at UNI. She taught me so much--the physiology of the voice, vocal pedagogy, how to prepare a recital, and how to choose repertoire. Dr. Barrett accompanied me for my graduate recital, and to this day, I am still benefiting from this experience. Aside from Dr. Barrett being a wonderful accompanist, he gave me a lot of information about the repertoire I was singing, along with the composers. I use this information not only for myself, but while I am teaching as well.

What course, project, or experience at UNI proved to be the most intellectually stimulating to you? Describe this experience and explain how it applied to your graduate education and research.

I really enjoyed all of the music history courses I took! While they were of similar topics, they were completely different from the courses in my undergraduate career, and they introduced me to completely new composers, operas, symphonies, and various pieces. I also had to write research papers for these classes, but they allowed me to explore topics I wanted to write about, so I gained even more knowledge about music in my own field of opera. 

What was your capstone research project (creative project, portfolio, thesis, research paper, etc.)? How did you grow from this project? Describe any standout memories or experiences from that process.

To graduate from my master's program, I had to write an Abstract and perform in a graduate recital. The Abstract took me the longest because I didn't have too much experience writing a paper like this at the time. However, I am thankful for this experience overall because writing this paper now allows me to look at my own repertoire with a critical lens, and I can help my older students do so as well. I am able to give them this experience that I never received, but I know it will help them become more well-rounded musicians. 

Choose three words to describe your graduate experience at UNI. Why these three words?

Empowering, fulfilling, and inspirational. 

If you had a GA position, how did it prepare you for your current employment or educational activity? What was the position?

I was an opera graduate assistant while at UNI, and this position included a lot of administrative work (i.e.: making copies, sending emails, making schedules, helping with projects.) Some of this administrative work happens to carry over into my teaching from time to time.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your time as a graduate student at UNI?

Since the opera department was on the smaller side, I truly felt like we were one, big family. We did so much together, too, inside and outside rehearsals that we all formed a strong bond. I also felt respected and supported by my peers, whether they were in my studio or not. The voice faculty was great as well, and you could tell that they cared about every single student in the department. I really miss being apart of this warm, encouraging environment!