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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Assignments for the week of May 13-20
Josh Shuster
Keep working on “Livin on a Prayer,” focusing on the ride cymbal groove for the chorus, as well as the fill right before the guitar solo.
How to practice it most effectively: Practice the chorus (Ride cymbal) groove with and without the music! Maybe practice the song from YouTube at 0.75 playback speed.
Myles Jubé
Practice “Dreaming” on drum set – the full song now! And for next week try to play through what we’ve done for “Dreaming” on xylophone so far. Next week we’ll also try some new stuff!
How to practice it most effectively: have fun with it!
Finnian Romero
Keep working on “Livin on a Prayer,” focusing on the groove for the chorus, and the fills.
How to practice it most effectively: Practice the chorus (Ride cymbal) groove with and without the music! Maybe practice the song from YouTube at 0.75 playback speed.
Francisco Garcia
Use the link in your Drive to practice the groove in the first 4 bars of “locked out of heaven.” Try to figure out the kick groove and get the groove as fast as you’re able to. No pressure to make it as fast as the song yet, I just want to see if you can play / loop the groove correctly at whatever speed you can make it.
How to practice it most effectively: see if you can play on YouTube with the playback speed reduced.
Jared Portus
Keep doing what we were doing before – grooving along to songs, playing with the swing of the hi-hat or ride cymbal, and the loose-ness of the snare and kick hits in relation to your right hand. Come up with fills as well!
Practice the “throw / grab” motion when playing 16th note grooves on the hi-hats / ride (song to practice this to – Chelsea Reject “Kidulthood”)
Songs we played along to:
MF DOOM – “Figaro”
J Dilla – “Time: The Donut of the Heart”, “Don’t Cry” (has tempo changes that make it maybe not the best song to play along to)
Jacob Collier – “Time Alone With You (feat. Daniel Caesar)”
D’Angelo – “Devil’s Pie”
JID – “Money”
Albums to listen to if you have some time!
J Dilla – DONUTS
MF Doom / Madlib – Madvillainy
D’Angelo – Voodoo
A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
Koel Rayner
Keep practicing the groove for “Squabble Up,” make sure you’re playing the hi-hats correctly. Try to find where in the song the variations come in on the kick drum. We’ll try a new song this week.
I know you have exams coming up so absolutely no pressure if you don’t have time to practice this week.
Preferred Books for Katie’s Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
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.
