Breakout Session
Expanding Your Independent Studio: The Challenges and Rewards of a Multi-Teacher Studio
Monday, July 11 • 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Presenters: Sharon Syzmanski, Cynthia Vaughn
Introduced by: Angela Holder
Location: Denver/Houston/Kansas City - 5th Floor
Join NATS members Sharon Szymanski and Cynthia Vaughn as they share their unexpected experiences of expanding their independent voice studios into community music schools with multiple voice and instrumental teachers. After decades of teaching voice at universities and home studios, Vaughn and Szymanski became entrepreneurs by combining musical skills with business savvy. They recently met and compared notes on how their music studios started and grew with good luck, good timing, good locations… and a few missteps along the way.
About Sharon Syzmanski
Sharon Szymanski received her BA in English from Miami University (OH). She later studied music at Meredith College (NC) and UNC-CH, where she also taught voice before opening a private studio in 2000. Since then her single-teacher studio has evolved into a full music school. She formerly worked in College Relations at Baldwin-Wallace College and as Associate Director of the Delaware Music School. She is former president of both the Durham Music Teachers Association and the Chapel Hill Music Teachers Association, and served on the Executive Boards of NCMTA and NC NATS. She presented "Expanding the Private Voice Studio" at the 2006 NATS National Conference and speaks to and coaches other teachers. Performing as well, she premiered Mark Glick's The Wife of Bath, winner of the NATS National Art Song competition in 2004. Ms. Szymanski continues to work with singers of all ages, backgrounds and vocal abilities covering all genres of music.
About Cynthia Vaughn
Cynthia Vaughn is widely respected as a teacher, performer, and co-author of a leading voice class textbook and song anthology, The Singing Book (with Meribeth Dayme), W. W. Norton Publishers, 3rd edition 2014. Cynthia served on the voice faculties of Colorado State University, Cedarville University in Ohio, Arvada Center for the Arts, and Art Connects International in Urbino, Italy, before founding MagnoliaMusicStudio.com in 2008. She received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from San Jose State University, completed Level 2 Certification in Contemporary Commercial Vocal Pedagogy, and is a Certified CoreSinging® Teacher. Cynthia Vaughn has performed professionally in NY, Chicago, Cincinnati, San Francisco Bay Area and her home state of Colorado. Recent performances include soprano soloist in Fort Collins Bach Festival; "Duchess of Krackenthorp" in Opera Fort Collins' Daughter of the Regiment; and numerous musical theater roles. Cynthia Vaughn’s Tumblr blog is “Singing in the Key of Me.”
