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 – Feb 14th
Hi Efe! Wishing you guys a great week!
Here is this week’s material.
Em pentatonic scale
We’re almost done this scale now. Once we get to the 12th fret, you’ll have access and the ability to solo all over the guitar neck for many, many songs and pieces in the Em key.
This week’s pictures show the added 9th and 10th frets to the scale.
– Please memorize these.
The new backing track to play over: Cool blues
Chord game
I was impressed with your work on the chords over the past week, Efe. Here is the next challenge to help you work on the proper transitioning techniques.
- I’ll have the required videos uploaded to this week’s Google Drive tomorrow.
- Practice these transitions alongside the Muse Score video in this week’s Drive. — It’s geared toward making your skills in this sharp; especially regarding Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
- The other video has me describing what fingerings to use, and how to execute the transitions properly.
Acoustic Open — Until bar 12
Keep using the ideas I gave you today to help decipher (or just read, haha) the musical notation. It was a great class of you learning the methods to deciphering the musical notation. The tips to remember:
- Where is Middle C? And where is my finger in relation to it? Close? Far?…
- See what string your Left Hand finger is on. Then go over the note names (the letters) all the way up to the fret your finger is holding down. — HINT: The only notes that need one fret (that is, one semitone) to get to the next letter are B to C, and E to F.
- Be mindful of the shapes of the melodies written. If they recur, but on different notes, then they might be played in the same way. For example: Bars 5 & 6 have a very similar shape to bars 9 & 10.
- “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge”
- “FACE”
- A note on a space right beside a note on a line is just one letter over. Same goes for the opposite.
Strumming
This is the least important homework. It’s more just for fun, if you have time. Keep working on that flicking style strumming we were talking about today.
- Outsides of the nails.
- Thumb and index finger, or thumb and middle finger.
- Don’t move your arm too much. The strength is in the fingers for this, more than anything else.
I’ll soon make the decision on which song you’ll do for your recital, Efe. Smells Like Teen Spirit or Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Thank you for your patience.
See you in a 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.
