Today we’d like to introduce you to Noël Edmonson.
Hi Noël, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My brother and I grew up in a musical family, where I enjoyed a simple life in a small, rural town in northeast Mississippi. My dad was the academic dean and my mom was the librarian at the local community college. In their spare time they served at our town’s First Baptist Church: mom played the organ, dad sang in the choir and served as a deacon. My extracurriculars were pretty much summed up as: church, music, hanging out in the woods or on the lake and going on summer family vacations. In high school I studied with a voice teacher at the community college and I fell in love with singing classical music. When I began college I was told I “wouldn’t make enough money to support myself” if I got a music degree. I tried other majors, but I was miserable until I finally committed to pursuing bachelor and master degrees in vocal performance. Initially my dream was to be a professional opera singer. But, as an opera apprentice in graduate school, I met professional opera singers and learned that I’d be living out of a suitcase and how difficult it would be to stay home and raise a family. So, I explored student teaching and fell in love with teaching voice. My first teaching position was at Dallas Baptist University. Then I got married and moved around a bit until we relocated to central Texas with three sons in tow. Soon after, I got divorced and moved to Fort Worth, where I later married again, inherited a stepdaughter, birthed another son and then began the daunting task of raising five children. I juggled motherhood while trying to teach voice, lead worship at church and volunteer for various ministries. As my children grew, they showed interest in musical theater. So I became a full-time chauffeur to get them to their rehearsals, and in my spare time I started building my voice and piano studio. Eventually I began music directing shows at community theaters in the DFW area. Now my children are adults and I’m single again. I still love spending time in nature, exploring spirituality, watching live theater and traveling with my family. Most of my time is spent teaching private voice and piano lessons to children, teens and adults out of my home studio, directing music for local community theaters AND performing with the most talented and inspiring theater community ever!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has NOT been a smooth road! I have struggled with insecurities about myself most of my life. I was a harsh self-critic – and pursuing degrees in Classical music just added fuel to my perfectionism. That genre of music requires you to get every note and rhythm “correct” and to sing it with the “correct technique”. As a young adult, my self-judgment was crippling me emotionally and took a toll not only on my singing and performing, but on my “living”. I’ve found some healing from my destructive thinking as I’ve gone through therapy and learned about mindsets. Another huge struggle has been in my personal relationships. After 22 years of marriage, going through a second divorce was pretty devastating. However, through the support of my children, my mom, my brother, my Higher Power, my support groups, my therapist and my friends, I feel I am stronger, more at peace, and more confident now than ever. I’ve learned to walk through the pain and trust that healing will come as I work through the hard stuff and not give up. And now as a performer I ask myself, “Why do I even want to sing?” and “Who am I singing for anyway?” I finally came to a realization that my Creator put this desire to sing inside of me and it is a gift – to me and to others. I will never be perfect and I will never please everyone, but I can sing for the Joy and Healing that it brings me and I hope to bring to others. When I sing, I can give that performance as a gift to my audience. Some may like the gift, some may not. I can’t control that. But I can control my motive for giving the gift. And I want my motive for singing to always be to share a meaningful experience of joy and beauty. And this is what I hope to inspire in my students.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a private voice and piano teacher with a home studio in Hurst, Texas. I teach a variety of genres (Classical, Musical Theater, Christian Contemporary, Pop, Rock, Country, Bluegrass, R&B), but the majority of my students sing Musical Theater. I am most proud when my students show the excitement of feeling more freedom and confidence in their singing, or achieve a goal we have been working towards (getting the role or job they auditioned for, acceptance into a university program, acceptance onto the worship team at their church, etc.). I think what sets me apart are my core values of compassion and authenticity. I want my students to feel safe with me and grow in all aspects of their lives. (Which in turn helps them sing better!) I am the Resident Music Director and a Board Member at Upright Theatre Company in Euless, Texas. I am most proud when I have helped my casts learn difficult harmonies and then sing them with confidence and power in the show. When we in the audience hear the beauty and intention of the music and are caught up in the emotional energy it brings, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude and definitely get tears welling up in my eyes!
I also perform in community theaters in the DFW area. I am so grateful that I get to keep performing at my age! I am so proud of roles I have been able to perform lately: Dowager Empress in Anastasia at Grand Prairie Performing Arts Council, Mother Superior in Sister Act at Upright Theatre Company, Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods at Stand Performing Arts Ministry, Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at Upright Theatre Company. Louise Badger in Holiday Inn at Texas Musical Theater Company, et. al. I am truly blessed!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I love to give my students opportunities to perform. If you have a venue we could use for offering live entertainment, get in touch. (E.g., If you are looking for cabaret-style entertainment at a coffee shop or if you have karaoke nites, or have a great venue for a recital, let me know!) People of any age can take voice or piano lessons. Just email me and we can talk about your goals and dreams!
If a theater is in need of a music director, they can text or call me to start the conversation and see if I am a good fit for their production.
Also, if a production is in need of a soprano in her mid-fifties, I’m your gal!
Pricing:
- $70 for 60 minute voice lesson
- $52.50 for 45 minute voice lesson
- $35 for 30 minute voice or piano lesson
Contact Info:
- Website: https://noeledmonson.wixsite.com/voicepiano
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noeledmonson5
Image Credits
Kris Ikejiri, Delaney Gebhart, Ellen Lumpkin
