B.Mus. (U Lethbridge)
B.Ed. (U Calgary)
M.A. (York U)
Jennifer Wakefield has been a vocal coach and music teacher for over fifteen years. A native of Alberta, Jennifer completed a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Lethbridge in 1995 and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary in 2003.
During the final term of her B. Ed. Degree, Jennifer relocated to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for five and a half years, where she held classroom music teaching positions from K-12, conducted an adult community choir, private vocal lessons and participated actively in the local Tanzanian music scene as a soloist. Jennifer’s hands-on exposure to traditional Tanzanian music led her to pursue an MA in Ethnomusicology at York University which she completed in June 2012.
Her recent projects include a vocalist for a Fujiwara piece in the Danceworks 40th Anniversary event, backup vocals for singer-songwriter Melanie Peterson, singer in “Have you seen my sister?” a vocal installation featured at Toronto Nuit Blanche 2017, soprano in “The Christmas Story” pageant a cappella quartet, and arranger/ vocalist and flautist in a Sprig of Rosemary, a Celtic music duo.
Get to know Jennifer…beyond the BIO!
Hobbies: cycling, hiking, choir
Musical influences: Beethoven, Loreena McKennitt, Blackmore’s Night, Karine Polwart
Favourite food: chocolate, cheese
Least favourite food: not enough chocolate, mushrooms
Favourite music: folk rock
Favourite song: Too many to narrow it down! / Both Sides Now (1969) – Joni Mitchell
Favourite movie: Life is Beautiful
Favouirite movie music: Star Wars / Dirty Dancing
Favourite musical theatre/opera: La Boheme – Puccini, Rent
Best quote from your teacher: “Ya gotta love it!”, “Success is 10% talent and 90% hard work.”
Favourite quote: “Life is short, eat dessert first.”, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
Favourite book: The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Meeting great students and making great music!
Latest Homework from Jennifer
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Homework for January 5-12
Hello Everybody,
Nice to meet you. Welcome back! I look forward to working with you on your musical endeavors.
Student 1: Oliver
Recommended minutes to practice: Best to do 5-7 minutes on reviewing some of the concepts he previously learned in the book, and 12-15 on Songs.
What to practice: Young Hunter and Skipping in Space
How to practice it most effectively: Look over the song before you start and decide where to place each hand. Add any musicality they indicate such as slurs or staccato.
How parents can support practice: Encourage them to start with the hard parts first, and to be able to play it slowly. Ask your kids to tell you the note names and which way the pitch is moving. (higher or lower)
Student 2: Linda
Recommended minutes to practice: 30 minutes per day- 10 minutes on technique such as scales, and hanon #5, 20 minutes on pieces
What to practice: hanon #5, menuet – Krieger (listen to how it is played on you tube for the amount of detachment
How to practice it most effectively: isolate the hardest bars (hands separate and then together) to make them smooth, put it all together.
Preferred Books for Jennifer’s Students
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Belting - A
Written for ages 5 and 6, My First Piano Adventure captures the child’s playful spirit. Fun-filled songs, rhythm games and technique activities develop beginning keyboard skills.
26 Italian Songs and Arias
This authoritative edition of the world’s most loved songs and arias draws on original manuscripts, historical first editions, and recent research by prominent musicologists to meet a high standard of accuracy and authenticity. Includes fascinating background information about the arias and their composers, as well as a singable rhymed translation, a readable prose translation, and a literal translation of every single word. This title is available in SmartMusic.
Folk Songs for Solo Singers
Selected for contests and adjudications around the country, this incredible volume includes 11 favorite folk songs expertly crafted for solo voice and piano. Arranged by Alfred Music’s finest writers, such as Philip Kern, Jay Althouse, Don Besig, Ruth Elaine Schram, and Carl Strommen.
Easy Songs for the Beginning Soprano
This series was designed to supplement traditional vocal instruction and works perfectly as preparatory literature for The First Book of Solos and The First Book of Solos Part II . Each piece is in English and has a limited vocal range as well as a piano accompaniment that is playable by a student pianist. The pieces include art songs, folksongs, humorous songs, and suitable vintage popular songs and are all appropriate for contest solos. The audio tracks include professionally-recorded accompaniments.
