Laurie can’t recall a day when music hasn’t been a huge part of her life. She has always taught, performed, conducted or accompanied choirs, and coached.
Laurie’s first music teacher was her mother, Jo Ann, a church pianist for over 60 years. Jo Ann put Laurie on the piano bench at age 2 and soon taught her improvisational skills. With exposure to sacred music, Laurie learned about harmony and by age four started singing in front of large audiences.
Growing up, Laurie had a variety of music teachers who exposed her to many genres of music. She developed a love for many types of music and enjoys finding the qualities of each piece she encounters.
As an adult, Laurie studied violin and string orchestration under Linda Williams, previously a teacher with Atlanta Strings and a violist with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
On scholarship at Brenau University in Gainesville, GA, Laurie obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a major in piano and a minor in voice. She studied piano, music theory, and music history under her most influential piano teacher, Professor of Music Dr. Priscilla Jefcoat.
Dr. Jefcoat fine tuned Laurie’s talent and pushed her beyond her comfort zone. Laurie lives by the adage Dr. Jefcoat passed to her : “Don’t merely teach the student music. Teach the entire child.”
Also at Brenau, Laurie studied under Dr. Michelle Reoche who is currently the Director of Chorale Studies and Professor of Music at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Texas. She taught Laurie conducting, choir, language enunciation, and vocal techniques.
Laurie sang and traveled with Dr. Reoche’s elite Chamber Choir. One of the most memorable moments was performing with the choir at Ground Zero a few months after 9/11.