Bachelor of Fine Arts (York University)
Katie Thurman is a singer, pianist, accompanist, and teacher based in Toronto. Her passion for music has been with her since childhood, and she is excited to have recently completed her undergraduate degree in music at York University.
Trained classically in piano, she continues to explore other styles including pop and jazz, as well as write her own compositions. Her vocal training is in both classical and musical theatre styles, as well as lengthy choral experience both in and out of school.
Katie spent 6 years singing with WIBI A Cappella, a collegiate-based group, during her time at York, and is proud to have competed with them twice in the ICCA (the very competition the Pitch Perfect films were based on!). Currently, she sings with the Toronto-based That Choir.
Katie loves all types of music, but spends most of her time listening to pop, indie, and alt-pop records.
Katie also writes her own songs and is working towards putting together an EP. Aside from music, Katie’s other passions include baking, film, and psychology. She loves teaching and is always pushing herself to grow pedagogically and musically!
Get to know Katie…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: baking, watching movies/TV, writing, yoga, hiking
Musical influences: Classical: Natalie Dessay, Maria Callas/Pop: Arcade Fire, Lana Del Rey, BANKS, Florence & the Machine, Rhye
Favourite food: Pasta
Least favourite food: Seafood
Favourite music: pop & alt-pop, indie/folk, dance, and all things Celtic
Favourite song: currently “Favourite Boy” by Half Moon Run
Favourite movie: Eighth Grade
Favourite movie music: A Single Man, music composed by Abel Korzeniowski?
Favourite musical theatre/opera: Les Misérables
Best quote from your teacher: Vocal teacher: “Just go for it! We want to hear ‘Katie-and-a-half'”.
Favourite quote: Motivation comes from work
Favourite book: The Handmaid’s Tale
Best thing about teaching at ABC: I like sharing my knowledge with students, and I learn from them too!
Latest Homework from Katie
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Efe homework – Sep 27th
Hello Efe and family! Wishing you guys a great weekend!
Below is the rundown of material to work on from today’s lesson. Aim to do this practice routine once a day leading up to our next lesson.
- Practice everything with a metronome.
Tempos are listed for each item.
- Please get the Guitar Method 1 book this week. The Amazon link is attached. There is homework from it. Aside from this, the videos of the scales we covered today are accessible in the homework of last week.
- Play the guitar both standing and sitting. Try playing all the chords we’ve covered so far, both while seated and while standing. – 10 minutes.
Make sure you’re always wearing a guitar strap. This will ensure that your posture on the instrument is good regardless of whether you’re standing or sitting.
- C Major scale – 10 minutes. 45 BPM.
This is a classical scale. Its fingerings were found out by Andrés Segovia. He found that these were the most efficient possible fingerings for the major and minor scales on the classical guitar. Playing this scale and anything else from classical music calls on the most efficient and strict posture on the whole body of the guitarist. This means that the guitar head must be held so high that the instrument looks almost like a cello. As well, your thumb must be behind the guitar neck so that no one from in front of you can see it. So whether standing or sitting, make sure that the guitar is positioned in such a way that the wrists are straight. Remember, the adjusting the strap properly will help. Playing this scale in any other way will result in injury of the guitarist’s hands or body.
- A minor pentatonic scale – 10 minutes. 45 BPM.
This scale is used in the genres rock, pop, folk, country, heavy metal, and more. For these genres, it is not quite as strict how the guitar must be held. However, the rule I will enforce is that you play with the guitar head pushed forward, away from your body. Remember, twisting the wrist slightly will help you get the right position. Also: having the thumb on top of the guitar neck (as opposed to the classical hand position) is a good thing to help you maintain a suitable posture for this scale.
- Practice pieces 2 and 3 from page 6 of the Guitar Method 1 book. Then try playing as much as you want of anything from page 7. – 15 minutes. 60 BPM.
While they might be good beginner pieces, the challenge here will be to make sure you’re playing right on the beat of the metronome. I noticed that playing things exactly on the beat was more of a struggle today.
Thank you for your work this past week, Efe. Keep it up! You’ve got this! I’ll see you in a week!
Preferred Books for Katie’s Students
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Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Primer Lesson Book introduces the keyboard, note values, and the grand staff. Students play in C 5-finger scale patterns, develop recognition of steps and skips, and learn letter names independent of finger number. Musicianship is built through the use of dynamics and coloristic experimentation with the pedal. The book is organized into units which represent the major concepts and skills. As new units are introduced, earlier concepts and skills are constantly reviewed.
Alfred's Adult Basic All-In-One
Alfred’s Basic Adult All-in-One Course is designed for use with a piano instructor for the beginning student looking for a truly complete piano course. It is a greatly expanded version of Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course that will include lesson, theory, and technique in a convenient, “all-in-one” format. This comprehensive course adds such features as isometric hand exercises, finger strengthening drills, and written assignments that reinforce each lesson’s concepts. There is a smooth, logical progression between each lesson, a thorough explanation of chord theory and playing styles, and outstanding extra songs, including folk, classical, and contemporary selections.
RCM Voice Repertoire
A Comprehensive Voice Series serves as the official resource for voice assessments of the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. Featuring an outstanding selection of voice literature and supporting materials, this series offers a truly enriched learning experience to help ensure student success. As in previous editions, Resonance encompasses a rich and varied selection of Repertoire, Vocalises and Recitatives that students of all ages and voice types will find appropriate to their musical interests and level of technical ability.
Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer
The vocal workouts in this much-anticipated follow-up to Peckham’s The Contemporary Singer are based on Berklee College of Music’s highly effective vocal method. This volume will help vocalists develop the voice through good vocal health, warm-up exercises, advanced techniques, stage performance advice and more. Includes companion online audio for ultimate interactive education!
Alfred's Teach Yourself to Sing
Learn to sing and open up a brand new world of musical knowledge with this exciting method from Alfred Music. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about equipment used by singers, vocal health, and getting acquainted with reading music. You will then move right along to breathing, vocalizing, proper warm-ups, and singing songs, lesson by lesson, all while continuing to increase your knowledge of reading and understanding music. You will learn to sing an array of musical styles including pop, jazz, classical, and musical theater. Near the end of the book, you will be introduced to the idea of individual interpretation, which will help you color your songs with your own unique style. The book features a chord and scale chart for reference during and after your lessons.
