Teacher Feature: Suzanne Harper

Meet our new voice instructor Suzanne Harper!

When did you begin studying? What was your motivation?

I began studying voice at the age of 10. My mom tells me I started singing before I could talk, so I was very enthusiastic about learning to hone my voice. My whole family is musical, and my brothers and I grew up singing and harmonizing from as early as I can remember.

Did you have a teacher that made an impact on you? If so, why?

My long-time voice coach, Tersila Romero, will always be one of the people I am most thankful for. I took from her for 20+ years and she really helped make me the vocalist I am today. I learned from her how to teach with dedication, grace, and humor. I enjoyed every single lesson I took from her and have loved being able to pass that knowledge on to my students!

What do you enjoy about teaching?

I live for those “ah-ha!” teaching moments. When a student realizes that they could do something they couldn’t do before, and their face lights up...that’s the good stuff!

What do you want your students to ultimately learn?

I want my students to learn to sing in a way that is true to the artist they wish to become while maintaining vocal health and longevity. There are so many unique ways of singing, and my goal is to guide each student as they find their own voice.

If you could do anything in music what would it be?

I would love to become a widely published songwriter! I love writing in general, and I think it would be so fun to hear other artists perform the songs that I write.

What kind of music do you listen to? Like to play the most?

I listen to a very wide variety of music, depending on what I am doing! I like to listen to artists like Fleetwood Mac, Queen, and Prince while I’m doing chores; bluegrass when I’m working by myself on a project; hip hop and pop when I’m having a dance party with my daughters; and punk/rock when I’m feeling angsty. There’s a perfect song for every occasion!