We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alyson Moore. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alyson below.
Alyson, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
When I was eleven years old, I found my voice. Perhaps it is more correct to say that my voice found me. My parents knew I had musical talent. I could play almost anything I heard my mother or older sister play on the piano, without reading it, and I seemed to have a head for hearing and understanding the multivalent nature of music. But when my voice matured, everyone noticed. My body followed suit and before too long, I was a paid performer at weddings, funerals, civic engagements, concerts, and church services. When I was fourteen, I looked like I was in my twenties. This opened doors for me. I was booked many weekends out of the year, and I sang with a grammy award winner when he came to Baltimore to perform. I was given great praise for my performances, but it all felt empty. In college, it was easy to rise to the top in my music department. My studio voice teacher asked me to apply for the Miss America Pageant, believing I could win and have my graduate degree paid for before becoming a professional singer. While I loved my voice and loved the roles I played, I felt uncomfortable with the glad handing that followed each performance. It all felt shallow. Just when I needed it most, I was assigned a studio of voice students. I felt like I came alive when I could help someone else find her voice. I tried a variety of classroom experiences: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and College. I could feel myself clicking into place as I developed a pedagogy of belief around the science of singing and the practice of teaching the brain to decode what it heard and have it translate to the intricate art of singing. But, it wasn’t until I turned my back to the audience, raised my hands, and shaped the phrases I had lovingly introduced to my students that I found my purpose as a conductor; a magician of sound that others make when we explore the shapes and phrases that music makes. It is my greatest joy to be on stage, silent, smiling, helping others’ voices soar.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the Artistic Director for the St. Louis Children’s Choirs. This organization has had a storied 45-year history of thousands of children performing high calibre choral music, singing together in community, and making friends. While I love teaching students of all ages, the crystalline sound of young voices in a treble choir captivates me. Teaching children to open the doors to excellence in performance is an incredible honor. Giving children important experiences and stages to perform on is transformational, and the hard work they put into the pursuit of excellence is part of the development of their character, teaching lifelong skills. What really makes my job special is when I can help a child connect with the musical elements that form the building blocks for song. For example, when a young artist sees symbols on a page, what meaning do they have in the brain and how will they sound when sung expertly? All of the decoding and hypothesis can happen even before a sound is uttered because the brain recognizes the spatial relationships of notes, understands the movement of the rhythm, and knows how to perform them with exact breath pressure and vocal fold velocity. It sounds really technical, and it is! Children can master these skills which in turn, unlock the brain where they can find greater reasoning resources which can be applied beyond the musical page. Seeing this happen every rehearsal with my students makes me feel like we are using our superpowers to scientifically and artistically create beauty! What a gift!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I can often be seen wearing a skeleton key necklace. This reminds me of the days I grew up in my parents’ beautiful antebellum farm house in Maryland. Each door had a skeleton lock and while they weren’t operational as the locking mechanism had been removed on some of the old doors, it always fascinated me to sit at the keyhole, positioning myself in such a way so that I could see the most out of the small opening. I learned early on that perspective has a lot to do with seeing things clearly and that the best way to see things clearly is to get a better perspective. For me, that means opening the door, seeing what is beyond it from the best perspective, and walking through it. Education has been my key. Seeing the big picture is profoundly important to me. On a hike, I will always choose a vertical climb, so I can see! Perspective is always better from a higher vantage point, so for me, I choose the high road. The three things that are my constant keys to unlocking doors in life are perspective, education, and traveling the high road.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Even in retirement, my parents are teachers. They were busy and both worked full-time when my three siblings and I were growing up, but they found ways to meet our diverse needs. My older sister was a straight-A student and the best class three gymnast in our state. My brother was a three-letter sportsman in high school with the ability to build anything. My younger sister was the family comedian and resident horse trainer, with wisdom beyond her years. Between gymnastics, sports games, the barn, and my many musical pursuits, my parents were busy, driving us great distances. They were present and active in our lives. The most impactful thing they did for us was to encourage individuality and foster talent. They sacrificed greatly so we could soar. Music lessons are expensive, and yet, I had piano, voice, and choir lessons for years. My parents sensed that I needed inspiration, so they took me to the opera and made sure that I saw iconic performances on stage. My parents embodied generosity and taught selflessness and sacrifice; some of the most impactful lessons I could learn.
Contact Info:
- Website: alysonmoore.com
- Facebook: Alyson Kate Moore
- Youtube: @alysonshirk
