This is my busiest time of the year in the studio.

The studio is busy with 90% of my 57 private students (four new students will begin this week, too) are preparing for big moments, many of which for my seniors, will be life-changing.

Six students are getting ready for the Muse Machine production, MAMA MIA.

28 voice students and 9 saxophone students are preparing for the Ohio Music Educators’ Association (OMEA) solo and ensemble contest the end of January.

Several high school students have leading roles and are already in rehearsals for their school productions of A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, SISTER ACT, TWELVE ANGRY JURORS, and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE.  In the next several weeks, other high school students will be auditioning for their school musicals, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, and several others which I cannot recall.

Other students are ready to begin winter guard and indoor percussion competitions,  preparing for show choir auditions and beginning their training with me for drum-major tryouts in the Spring.

19 seniors are in the heat of polishing their auditions for college auditions.  13 students are going into musical theatre, 4 are planning to major in music education and 2 are aiming for music technology programs.

Students will be auditioning for musical theatre, music education and music technology programs at:

• Wright State University
• Baldwin-Wallace University
• Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (Theatre)
• Northern Kentucky University
• Elon University
• Webster University
• Ohio University
• Michigan State University
• Kent State University
• Otterbein University
• Arizona State University
• Boston Conservatory of Music
• Northwestern University
• Ball State University
• Indiana University
• Pointe Park University
• Carnegie-Mellon University
• Western Michigan University
• Julliard School
• Manhattan School of Music
• New York University – Tisch School of the Performing Arts

This is all so exciting.

I love watching the students mature as strong, talented, dedicated musicians/performers and feeling them take the measured steps toward their goals and dreams as they cautiously let go of my hand.

I so love my life’s career of teaching as I continue to learn more about the numerous areas of my profession, more about my students and so much more about life.