As I teach, I aim to help every student to achieve his or her greatest potential and to enjoy the process of getting there.

Composition students tap into the musical present and past through a wide variety of musical languages. Aspiring composers must learn how we got where we are today in order to write poignant and compelling music for the 21st century. As they try out musical techniques and styles, students learn to effectively share ideas in ways that words alone cannot express.

My voice students work hard to develop a solid technique that allows them to adapt to a wide range of singing styles. As they learn to communicate the deeper meaning of the text, with the proper focus, they free up their voices, master the art of musical expression, and discover the joy of artisitc singing.

I teach private composition and theory, voice, or beginning to early-intermediate level piano lessons.

Music was always in my ear as I grew up singing in church, and piano was my first instrument and first love. I started piano lessons with the composer Jane McFadden, and later added vocal studies with Carol Marty of Capital University. In high school I accompanied choral groups on piano, sang when I wasn't playing, and played percussion in the band.

In college, I received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Harding University in Arkansas, where I was very active in choir, musicals, and band. I received my master's and doctorate in music composition at the University of North Texas. My related field of study throughout was voice, and I continued studying piano while working on my master's. (Names of some of my teachers are listed in the "education" section of my résumé .)

I began my music teaching career as Associate Director of Choral Music with Sally Schott at South Houston High School. Later I taught music courses, Italian language, choir, and private voice lessons at Harding University. At the University of North Texas, I taught composition, instrumentation, orchestration, theory, and Italian. My voice voice students have made remarkable progress and have enjoyed notable success at our regional NATS conventions. Likewise, my composition students have have reached many of their goals and have entered some of the finest composition departments in the country.

To request lessons and inquire about payment, please contact me at:

COMPOSER@JAYALANWALLS.COM