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 from January 8th
Hello Everybody!
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday!
Georgia:
Today we reviewed “Waltz Time”. To help Georgia feel the flow of the song, please remind her when practicing that often in the song the last beat of one phrase ends up being the first beat of the next phrase. So these two phrases will feel more like one long phrase. I have marked in pencil where this happens in the music. Georgia should focus her practice on these areas to make sure they are smooth and connected when she plays. She can play these phrases hands separate when practicing if this helps her focus on the fingerings and enables her to play more smoothly. We will try to put these phrases hands together next week.
Noreet:
Today we started “Moonlight Melody”. There are some accidentals in this piece (sharps and flats). Please help Noreet by reminding her that in order to sharpen a note she must raise the note by one semitone, and lower the note by one semitone to flatten it. We played through the entire song together in class, but if she struggles to play the whole phrase, ask her to focus on one bar at a time. We even covered up the surrounding bars so that the only one Noreet could see was the bar she found challenging. She can continue this method at home. Remember that once she feels confident with the one bar, she is to uncover the bar that comes before it and play the two together. This will help thread the bar back into the whole phrase. Should Noreet use this method at home, please mark the bars she zeroed in on by circling them or drawing in a star above the bar so that we can come back to these moments in the song next week.
Eva:
Today Eva chose a song from her new K-Pop Demon Hunters Book! This semester we will continue learning songs in Eva’s method book as well as work towards playing “Your Idol”. For this week when practicing “Your Idol” have Eva review the right hand of the first phrase on her own first and then play the song and encourage Eva to play along to what she hears. Remember; this song is in e minor so it has an F sharp. Please help Eva by reminding her that in order to sharpen a note, she needs to raise the note one half-step to the right on the piano. You can help guide her through a little bit more of this song if Eva wants. We will continue exploring this song next week. Please also review “Young Hunter” with her as we will review this next week as well.
Benji:
Today we reviewed “Haunted Mouse”. Please help Benji by reminding him that all of the quarter notes in the song should be played at the same speed. If he needs to slow down the quarter notes in the beginning of the song to ensure they match the quarter notes in the last phrase he is allowed and encouraged to do so. We also started “Classic Dance” This song is in C-Position. Benji learned today that this is when the 5th finger of his left hand and his 1st finger of his right hand are both resting on a C, one octave apart, and his other fingers line up with the notes above it up to G. When practicing this song encourage Benji to use the labelled fingerings for the last two bars of the first phrase. These two bars are played in contrary motion which means Benji’s hands will move towards each other as he plays. While the notes for both hands are different here, the fingering is the same for both hands. Benji’s left hand starts this section on a D and his right hand starts on an F. He should practice playing the following notes with his fourth, third, and second fingers in both hands. We will review this technique next week.
Clara:
Today we reviewed the William Tell Overture. We also listened to different version of the piece for Clara to compare. Please find links to these videos here and here. We will further discuss their differences next week. We also started “Barefoot on the Beach”. This song is in cut time! Clara learned that “cut time” is 2/2 time. This will mean the half notes are worth one beat and the quarter notes are worth half a beat. Overall, everything on the page is faster than it looks. Please remind Clara of this when she is practicing, especially if she chooses to practice with a metronome! We will review this next week.
Thank you everyone!
Great first week back! I’m looking forward to seeing what you all bring to class this semester.
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.
