Early Life and Family

Katy grew up in the heart of Dallas/Fort Worth into a large, musical family. Her mother was an elementary music teacher for 35 years and she and her father played in several orchestras over their (still going) careers as bassoon player and French horn player. Katy’s father has also been a sought-after baritone in the DFW metroplex for many years. To say Katy grew up in the wings and backstage of music is not an exaggeration. (In fact, she didn’t realize this was a bit unusual until college.) Not only are her parent’s musicians, but many members of the extended family are professional musicians and artists in places like NYC, Portland, and more. Some of the most fond memories are gathering at Christmastime around the piano, with aunts and cousins playing four-hand carols and singing together in sometimes 8-part harmonies, sometimes sight-reading, sometimes singing simple rounds, but always laughing. It was very “Norman Rockwell”.

Katy learned to read music quickly and sang in touring church choirs, regularly preparing and auditioning for the TMEA All-State choir in high school, and joining the Madrigal Singers the last 3 years of high school, under the direction of Dr. Richard McKean.

Heading West

After graduating high school in 2000, Katy had to choose between two loves: art or music. Music won out (maybe the music scholarship tipped the scale) and she chose Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX to major in Music Education, Vocal Emphasis. She was invited to sing with the renowned Concert Choir and smaller ensemble, Simmons Classic under the direction of Dr. Lloyd Hawthorne. She regularly competed in NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) competitions all over the state of Texas and earned high scores at those events. She participated in productions of Opera Scenes directed by Dr. Jayne Middleton and a full-fledged production of Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte where she played the role of Dorabella. She studied under the prodigious teaching of Dr. Stafford Turner and his wife Rebecca Turner, who had their own careers in opera houses in Germany for many years before they landed in Texas.

Katy took a break from college in 2003, got married (to a fellow musician of course) and started a family, but then went back to school in 2008, finishing with honors in her BM program, earning the “Outstanding Student Teacher” award. During her time student teaching, however, she decided her real joy came in small groups, even one-on-one teaching. Because she already had 1 little boy and had another on the way, she decided teaching private lessons was the way to go. She graduated in 2009.

Teaching/Singing

Immediately after graduation, Katy started taught for 2 years at Abilene High School and Cooper High School, both in Abilene, coaching high school students for auditions, performances, musicals, and Solo and Ensemble competitions. After her 3rd boy was born, it was time to take some time away from teaching. She did find time to sing with Abilene Chamber Singers (a small group of musicians, many teachers themselves) before her family decided they city was where they wanted to relocate.

When her oldest son (now a senior) started 1st grade, she started the journey of homeschooling. This journey is time-consuming (as many people now know post-Covid), so it took awhile to get back to the piano. But, in 2016, she opened up her studio, this time teaching from home. A large majority of her students have been homeschoolers since then, as that is where her community lies. Her students have made her SO proud, accomplishing feats such as All-State Choir, superior ratings at Solo & Ensemble Competitions and growing in knowledge of music and musicianship. Before moving to Colorado in 2021, Katy sang with the MidCities Chamber Singers under direction of D.J. Bulls, and then Fort Worth Chorale, Schola Cantorum under direction of Dr. Karen Kenaston-French.

Moving to the Mountains and HVE

Though it was hard to leave family in Texas, 2021 urged change again. Katy and her (now 4) growing boys and husband decided on Colorado Springs. Close enough to the mountains, but also close to a Costco! She immediately started looking around for a homeschool choir for her own boys, but found the area lacking for older students. Katy decided to fill that gap and started up the Homeschool Vocal Ensemble, an a cappella singing group for high school students. She is also growing her studio locally, and some are still taking lessons virtually from Texas. She is excited to help grow musicians and singers in the Colorado Springs area, furthering excellence and deepening understanding in all aspects of music. She is an active member of the Colorado Springs Chorale.

Other Interests:

When Katy is not teaching her 4 boys (Kindergarten through 12th!), voice lessons, or choir, you can find her playing tennis, hiking, reading, or even teaching art classes. She is the co-owner of Cypress School of Art as well, which began as an online art school during the pandemic. She loves roadtripping throughout the country, and trying out local coffeehouses everywhere she goes.