April Student of the Month

Violet Kirk

When she was younger, Violet Kirk wanted to be a nun or an opera singer, aspirations she attributes to The Sound of Music. While neither dream has been realized today, she has found her niche in Lincoln area community theatre, and voice lessons at Harris Academy of the Arts with instructor Jeff Kuhl.

"Violet has that natural instinct in bringing her beautiful characters to life, enhancing them with her rich voice,” shares Jeff.  “It's a joy to listen and be part of her discovery. Bravo!" Together, the student teacher duo has been working to add the elements to each song that make them come alive. You can watch the video below for just a snippet of the creativity and detail that goes into telling a story with a song.

In addition to her musical endeavors, Violet is a wife, mom to two little girls, and an employee of the Nebraska Press Association. We’re privileged to be a place that she makes time to visit weekly, even with her busy schedule. Learn more about this impressive Student of the Month below!

More About Violet:

What other instrument(s) do you play?
Piano, French horn

How long have you taken lessons?
1.5 years

What are your goals with music lessons?
I spent high school and college focusing on instrumental music, but singing always seemed so natural and fun. When I decided to start auditioning for community theater here in Lincoln, I started taking voice lessons to become a more confident and polished singer.

What are your favorite songs to sing?
I’m a terrible person to invite to karaoke night, because the only things I sing are a) show tunes and b) hymns — neither of which are popular choices for standard karaoke. It would be impossible to choose my favorite show tune, but my favorite hymn is “The Old Rugged Cross”.

What is something new and exciting you have learned in lessons lately?
I’ve been learning how to tell stories with songs and I love the ability to give each piece its own flavor and style.

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
I really enjoyed singing “I Don’t Know What I’d Do Without You” from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (fall 2014). It was such a fun, bouncy piece to sing!
I’ve found a cozy little theater home at The Stage Theater in Hickman, and some of my favorite roles there were Meg in Little Women and Jacqueline in Don’t Dress For Dinner.

What is your occupation? Tell us a little bit about what you do.
I work for the Nebraska Press Association, which is the trade organization for Nebraska’s newspapers. I work with advertisers to coordinate ad buys in newspapers, both statewide and nationally.

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
I’m a mother to two little girls, so lately my favorite hobby has been playing “princess superhero”. When I’m not doing that, I like to thrift shop, refinish old furniture and read as much as I can.

What is your favorite food?
Spaghetti from Valentino’s  — I’d eat it every day!
Coffee (not technically a food, but it’s definitely my favorite!)

What do you think is the best movie of all time? 
Ooo … tough question! A few of my favorites are Waiting for Guffman, Strictly Ballroom and Inception.

What is a book everyone should read? 
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
All the Money in the World by Laura Vanderkam
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
(I know it’s not one book … but trust me when I say this is the abbreviated list. I love to read!)

What is your favorite quote?
“As long as we live, there is never enough singing”
-Martin Luther

What is a little known fact about you?
When I was little, I wanted to be either a nun or an opera singer, maybe both. I’m guessing watching “The Sound of Music” had something to do with that …

Instructor Spotlight

Christine Collins

Growing up in Houston, Texas in an English family in a neighborhood rich in Latin American traditions, Christine Collins developed a love for Latin culture, including music, Salsa dancing, and Latin food. In fact, she’s been playing Mariachi music for several years and had the memorable opportunity of opening for the world-renowned group Mariachi Sol de Mexico with her local mariachi group Mariachi Aguilas. Contrast that with the children’s songs you’ll hear almost any day of the week outside a Children’s Music Academy class and you’ll discover one of the many things we love about Christine. She loves music – teaching music, discovering music, performing music, and appreciating music.

In addition to her more than 20 students in Children’s Music Academy classes, Christine teaches private lessons in violin, viola, voice, and piano, as well as the Treble Maker Show Choir group class. She lives for those light bulb moments when a student understands a concept they had been struggling with. “It happens with every student I’ve ever had,” says Christine, “and it never gets old.”

Read on to learn more about Christine. Another “note”-able member of the Harris team, we’re pleased to showcase her this month!

More About Christine:

What is your main instrument?
Violin

How long have you played your instrument?
Since I was 6 years old

How did you get started playing your instrument?
The daughter of my mom’s best friend would always bring her violin to every holiday gathering we had since I was born. Around age 3, after listening to her perform, I began begging my mom to let me play violin and didn’t stop begging until she finally gave in 3 years later.

Do you play any other instruments?
Yes. I sing and play piano and played viola, oboe, and saxophone through middle school, high school, and part of college.

What is your favorite kind of music?
I am very into folk type music including bluegrass and Irish fiddle and Latin pop.

Do you have any good stories about where you grew up?
I grew up in a mostly Hispanic area in southeast Houston and so grew up speaking a little Spanish and to this day I love Latin food and music of all sorts. (That’s probably the reason I became super interested in Mariachi music later on.)

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
I love to dance, Salsa, swim, read, and binge on Netflix

What is your favorite food?
Pizza and cookies

Do you have a fun or inspiring story to share about teaching lessons?
I don’t have a specific story, but in general, I feel so inspired whenever I have a student finally understand a concept that they had previously been struggling with. It happens with every student I’ve ever had and it never gets old.

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
My favorite performance was playing at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival with the Mariachi group Mariachi Aguilas. I had a solo on a piece based on a Tango and got to play in front of my friends, family, students, and 300 people.

What is your favorite quote? 
“Let us take our children seriously! Everything else follows from this…only the best is good enough for a child.” –Zoltan Kodály

What do you think is the best movie of all time? 
Anastasia

What is a book everyone should read? 
The Harry Potter series. I know it’s actually seven books, but you can’t just read one book in a series.

What is a little known fact about you? 
Everybody in my family is English, so my upbringing was a mix of very English traditions and Latin American traditions from families that lived around us.

April Pet of the Month

Meet Gatsby, who belongs to violin student Cadi Wilbeck. Gatsby enjoys being serenaded by Cadi!