Heidi W

Heidi attended California State University, Chico where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education. During her last year of study, she decided to take a few extra credit courses in Physical Education, her other passion. She decided that since athletics and music have been such a huge part of her experience and joy in life, that she would take enough courses to earn a Coaching Certificate, which adds more diversity and skills to her teaching abilities. Heidi maintained an honorable grade point average through her College Career and earned her way on the Deans List for several semesters, indicative of her hard work, focus, and dedication to striving for excellence. She has been playing and studying music formally since the age of 9 years old/4th grade. She has participated in many different music performance opportunities, such as School Band starting in the 4th grade, Junior Honor Symphony in Elementary School, Jr. High School Honor Band (Regional and State), Pep Bands, High School Honor Band (Regional and State), many various talent shows, Solo and Ensemble Festivals in Jr. High & High School, performing with the University Wind Ensemble in High School, playing in the Marching Band then became Drum Major for 2 consecutive years, performing many concerts in her local community as well as playing in several Blues, Funk, Worship, bands during her College time. She has continued to perform and record with many Bands and has experienced playing in many diverse groups, playing many different styles of music. She continues to educate herself by furthering her studies on each instrument she plays& teaches, music theory, jazz theory and continues to study vocal techniques. She considers herself a lifelong learner!

Heidi has continued to educate herself and challenge herself by taking private music lessons on clarinet, alto sax, flute, drum set/snare, piano, trumpet, trombone and voice. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education, which required learning each instrument, exemplifying proficiency to be able to play through the first lesson book on each instrument, as well as piano experience, vocal experience, elementary music education experience, lesson planning, music theory, ear training, composition, conducting, early childhood education, and more! Heidi’s Motto is Always be open to learning, always be hungry for knowledge and remain teachable and your mind will expand beyond what you have planned! Heidi has attended clinics with such musicians as Tower of Power horn section, and has had the honor of playing with 3 of the horn players from the Buena Vista Social Club band. Heidi continues her training and education, practices on all the instruments she teaches and plays, composes and arranges on her own projects as well as is hired to compose and arrange for other artists, records on other artists projects, currently with Carla Torgerson, creator and lead vocalist of The Walkabouts, Mr. Paul Polo Jones, Musical Director and Bass Player for Italian Artist/Band Zucchero Fornaciari, and composer, arranger, recording artist and producer. This is only a small example of her professional performing and recording experience.

Heidi has had many opportunities to perform live as well as in recording studios over her many years of playing. She has also arranged many horn charts for bands and for recording studios. She has had several opportunities to perform live on trombone and trumpet with Bands that she has never played with and never heard their music, but she was hired to play and therefore sight read the Gig! Heidi has had the privilege of performing with such amazing musical organizations as; The Seattle Rock Orchestra. If you haven’t heard of the SRO, they are a local prestigious orchestra that plays cover music from artists such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Micheal Jackson, Prince, Pink Floyd and more! Heidi has also performed with Kobo Town, a touring Trinidadian Calypso Band, La Banda Gonzona, a Oaxacan Banda style Band, Sunga Rose, a turn of the century Blues/Jazz style Quartet, The SANCA-pators, a local Circus music-Vaudevillian style band, and many other various Bands and Orchestras of all styles and colors! She has and still does perform and record on Brass, Woodwinds, Percussion, Drum Set, Bass Guitar, Piano, and Voice.

Since College, Heidi has taught in California as well as Washington State, where she currently, happily, resides. She has been teaching group and individual instrumental music Lessons for over 20 years. She has been employed as a Para-Professional (assistant to the teacher) in Edmonds, Wa School District, co-teaching beginning guitar and worked at The Overlake School (a Private College Prep 5th-12th grade school) in Redmond,Wa teaching group and individual classes on Clarinet, Saxaphone, Flute, Trumpet, Trombone, Baritone/Euphonium, Bass Guitar, and Snare Drum/Percussion. Heidi has been employed by Kinnelly Keys (Shoreline,Wa) retail music store and was able to learn about a different side of the music industry. Heidi also taught music lessons at 4/4 School of Music (Seattle,Wa) Clarinet, Alto Sax, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, and Drum Set/Snare Drum. She not only teaches around 10 different instruments, she can play them all proficiently and offers Students a well rounded, comprehensive music education, along with offering all of the important instrumental techniques about how to play well and how to play with musicianship. Heidi offers more than a music lesson, she provides a comprehensive music education with a solid foundation to build and grow from, along with a warm and supportive attitude to support each student on their path to develop confidence, knowledge and skills through learning how to play an instrument, or sing!