Meet the Stanton’s Team – Jen S. Monday, June 15, 2015
We’ve written before on the Stanton’s blog about our knowledgeable staff. Now, we’d like to give you a chance to get to know our staff on a more personal level. Over the next several months, we will be having members of the Stanton’s team take our “30 Questions in 60 Seconds” questionnaire. We hope you will get to know the “real” us, and learn how we might better be of service to you!
A former middle school and high school choral director, Jen holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.
What department do you work in at Stanton’s? – Choral Department
What do you consider your specialties here? – School Choral Music (middle school and high school)
How long have you worked at Stanton’s? – Almost nine years
What is your favorite task at Stanton’s? – Organizing and reorganizing – especially when we update our displays of new recommendations for teachers (lists and spreadsheets and data, oh my!)
What is your hometown? – Cincinnati
Where did you go to college? – Baldwin-Wallace College (now University), Bachelor of Music Education
What is your major instrument? – Voice (but, playing the piano pays better these days!)
Where or with whom do you currently perform/teach? – Soprano section leader for the Coshocton Community Choir, accompanist for local schools in Olentangy, Pickerington, Columbus City, and the Catholic diocese
What do you like to do in your spare time? – Cooking, running, yoga, attending the theater
What days of the week can you be reached at Stanton’s? – Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday – I like having a weekday available for my accompanying responsibilities in the schools
What is the last song/piece you listened to? – Theme from “Jurassic Park” (I love John Williams stuff on my running playlist – it’s like I’m running away from a dinosaur!!)
What is the last song/piece you played/sang? – I sang/played a bunch of Broadway stuff at a small benefit concert last night – a little bit outside my usual “box,” but lots of fun!
If you had a chance to perform with three musicians, living or dead, who would it be? – Fred Waring, Robert Shaw and Audra McDonald (all three on the same concert?!? I would die.)
What is your most memorable musical moment? – Singing with the Pennsylvanians at Penn State University in a concert honoring the 100th anniversary of Fred Waring’s birth – I was part of a high school ensemble that is modeled on the unique Waring sound, and we were invited guests for the performance. Standing with the Pennsylvanians alumni, many of them in their 80s and 90s, and hearing them singing with such beautiful technique and with such deep passion and love for the art was incredibly moving.
If you could be instantly proficient on an additional instrument, what would you choose? – Cello
What is the most unusual performance you have ever been a part of? – I was involved as a singer and staff member for the All-Ohio Youth Choir at the Ohio State Fair for almost 20 years, which provided thousands of “unique” performance opportunities. Highlights include: power outages prompting an immediate change to an entirely a cappella concert, conducting the choir from the opposite side of a river, conducting the choir while standing on the back of a moving golf cart, and delaying the start of a concert because they were filming a movie starring Jennifer Lopez on the fairgrounds (we were all extras!).
What musical sound or noise do you love? – The reverb after the cutoff of a perfectly tuned a cappella chord in a resonant space. Also, a distant French horn.
What musical sound or noise do you hate? – A squeaking clarinet
If you had your choice watching a great concert tonight or performing in a great concert tonight which would you choose and why? – HOW CAN YOU CHOOSE?!?
If heaven exists, when you arrive at the Pearly Gates, what heavenly ensemble would you like to be assigned to? – Well, I assume J.S. Bach is the choirmaster, so I better brush up on my melismas.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? – Zookeeper, or ice cream taste-tester
What profession would you not like to do? – Politician
On a scale of 1-10, how funny do you think you are? – This is a silly question – obviously, I’m hilarious. 10+ :-)
Who was your first crush? – Fred Savage on “The Wonder Years”
Is there anything you wish would come back into fashion? – Respect for the educational profession.
Do you love or hate roller coasters? – LOVE
If you were a super hero, what powers would you have? – Super spreadsheets! (not particularly exciting, but useful)
How many pairs of shoes do you own? – I’ve never really counted, but I’m notorious for having multiple pairs just laying around in my living room at any given time – often into double digits, and spanning everything from winter boots to running shoes to flip flops at all times!
Would you rather win the lottery or work at the perfect job? – Perfect job! There’s happiness to be found in hard work.
If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? – Bacon and eggs forever and ever.
