Florida Music Compendium

Allego Choir
Composed of children with limited choral experience and in the beginning stages of vocal development. The students will be actively engaged in singing experiences using basic music notation and imitation. The repertoire will include folk songs, chorales, patriotic songs, and contemporary popular music.

Instruction will focus primarily on developing musicianship, vocal technique, and sight-reading skills.

Adagio Choir
Members of this choir continue their musical development by experiencing more sophisticated repertoire. The repertoire includes 2 & 3-part works that are both accompanied and unaccompanied (a cappella). Students at this level must consistently demonstrate knowledge of proper vocal technique, proper breathing technique, and the basic principles of diction for singing.

Vocal Jazz Ensemble (to be announced)
Composed of young adults ages 14-18, this group teaches the art of jazz singing individually, and in the context of a group setting. Students involved will continually develop their comprehensive musicianship skills as they relate to: tone production, balance, blend, intonation, part independence, vocal flexibility, sense of time, style, theory, understanding of form and structure, beginning vocal improvisation skills, and basic jazz history.

Artistic Director & Choral Conductor:	Timothy Brent, MA in Jazz Pedagogy, Doctoral Candidate University of Miami Tim is currently a Doctoral Assistant working on his degree in jazz studies at the prestigious school of music at the University of Miami. Previously Tim was the Assistant Professor of Jazz Vocal Studies at The University of the Arts and a 7-time DownBeat Award-Winning vocal jazz educator, pianist, arranger and performer. Tim received his bachelors degree in choral music education from Western Michigan University where he was a member of the internationally renowned vocal jazz ensemble Gold Company under the direction of Dr. Steve Zegree. Tim was the director of the vocal jazz program at Northern Illinois University for 3 years before obtaining his masters degree in jazz pedagogy from the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) where he was a teaching assistant under director Larry Lapin. Tim has had vocal arrangements published by the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press and has had numerous works performed by high school and college vocal groups throughout the country.
Choral Conductor & Music Teacher:	Valeria Proano, BM Studio Music and Jazz Performance, University of Miami Valeria Proano, a multi-lingual (Spanish, English, French and Portuguese) music educator and vocalist, has been performing and teaching music for more than 15 years. After earning her associates degree in music at Miami-Dade Community College, Ms. Proano received multiple scholarships (two from the Grammy-Award winning vocalist, Jon Secada) to attend the internationally recognized School of Music at the University of Miami where she earned a bachelors degree in Studio Music & Jazz Vocal Performance. Valeria was a DownBeat Award-winner and has maintained a successful performing career throughout South Florida. Ms. Proano has organized and led her own groups on two European tours (including a performance in the 2001 Tour De France) and has performed for the past 15 years for audiences in her home country of Ecuador as well as throughout the U.S.
Choral Conductor & Music Teacher:	Silvia Ledon, Vocal Performance, University of Miami Silvia Ledon, an experienced vocalist and music educator, was mentored from childhood by her father, Oscar Vargas Romero, a renowned choral conductor and music educator throughout South and Central America. Under his tutelage, she began teaching music with such methods as Orff, Kodaly, and Dalcroze. Mrs. Ledon developed a unique style for introducing music to young children and has more than 16 years of teaching experience. She founded and led the P.A.T.H. Childrens Choir for 5 years, directed musicals, and taught Orff instrumentation to children of all ages. Mrs. Ledon continued her studies in vocal performance at Miami-Dade College and the University of Miami. She has performed with choirs, ensembles, and as a solo artist, and has toured Europe, South America, and the United States. Silvia is actively involved in leading worship music at her church, where she sings and plays in the band, and leads adult and childrens choirs. After having participated in numerous studio recordings, she is now awaiting the release of her solo album.