Stephanie Schall-Brazee is an elementary general music teacher for the Traverse City Area Public Schools where she also directs the select Women’s Choir, Bella Voce. As a choral director, Stephanie’s choirs have consistently earned first degree ratings at festivals, and have been invited to sing at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In addition to her public school teaching, Stephanie is on the faculty of the Northwest Michigan College Children’s Choirs where she directs the Lyric and Prelude Choirs.
Stephanie’s training includes a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Central Michigan University, and a Master of Music Education from The Hartt School, where she was a graduate assistant to Dr. John Feierabend. Stephanie’s master’s thesis, entitled “The Effects of Song Accompaniment on First Grade Children’s Ability to Sing Songs from Memory”, required an experimental study that continues to be a clear contribution to the knowledge base in song acquisition among children.
In addition to her teaching, Stephanie has served as a clinician
presenting sessions on “Singing Development in Young Children”, “Music and Movement in Preschool” and “Conversational Solfege“. She is also an endorsed Teacher Trainer for First Steps in Music, and will be working on earning the Conversational Solfege Levels 1 and 2 endorsement this summer at Silver Lake College.
Stephanie has spent many years spreading the word and training new teachers and colleagues in the methods of Dr. Feierabend. Under her guidance, and with the support from the music department, the Traverse City Area Public Schools has adopted First Steps in Music and Coversational Solfege as the foundation for their general music curriculum. Stephanie is passionate about the work and philosophy of Dr. Feierabend, and would be honored to serve as a Member at Large for FAME, working with the board to spread the word to a larger audience!