Jody holds a Bachelor of Music degree from McGill University, with an Honours in Music Education, majoring in Piano. She also holds her Teacher’s College degree in Music and French from the University of Toronto, as well as a Master’s Degree in Education in Counselling Psychology; also from the University of Toronto. This degree particularly equips Jody to understand the depth and meaning of singing to people, as well as the cognitive and aesthetic needs of the adult community choir participant.
Since 1987, Jody has been a music teacher and choral director with the Peel District School Board of Mississauga, with the latter 25 years at Cawthra Park Secondary School for the Performing Arts. She no longer teaches full time but enjoys returning to Cawthra for ‘supply teaching’ days, and fills the remainder of her schedule with Singing Out rehearsals, gigs and concerts!
When Jody is not working, she loves travelling with her family or friends. At home in Parkdale, she enjoys reading for Book Club, listening to new repertoire for choir, cycling, walking, golfing, or practicing yoga. She loves to attend plays, musicals, the Toronto Symphony, and the monthly documentary series ‘Doc Soup’, with her partner Christopher.
Jody was inspired by this quote in her formative years. “I am a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” -Stephen Leacock
Jacklin Falconer (she/they) is a performer, choral conductor and voice educator. She holds a BFA in Vocal Jazz Performance and a Master of Arts, Musicology in Choral Conducting from York University.
As a conductor, she has directed the academic classical choirs at York University, The St Mary’s Children’s Choir, The Voices of Hope Parkinson’s Choir and joined Singing Out in 2019 as Assistant Artistic Director acting as technical lead through challenging pandemic virtual rehearsals. When the choir came back in person, she initiated the Trans & Non-Binary Ensemble, One of the first of it’s kind in Canada’s choral scene.
When not with her choirs Jacklin is a busy voice teacher, opening Savoy Music Lessons in 2017 and expanding to AffirmingVoice.ca in 2021 to serve Trans and gender expansive voices in singing and speech.
A life long learner, Jacklin continues to study with leading voice practitioners worldwide training in choral conducting with Rod Eichenberger, transgender voice with Liz Jackson Hearns, and trauma informed voice work with Megan Durham.
As a teenager, years of ‘winging it’ at piano lessons and getting away with it brought Beth to Lakehead University to study with Heather Morrison and during the summer, master classes with Dr. Damjana Bratuz. After completing her undergraduate degree, Beth continued her studies with Dr. Bratuz as she enrolled in the Master of Music Performance program at the University of Western Ontario, and finished the degree while completing the Bachelor of Education program at LU. Beth has accompanied instrumentalists, vocalists, and choirs extensively, and has more recently completed choral arrangements that have been performed by many fine choirs including Singing OUT. Her arrangement of Jane Siberry’s ‘The Valley’ has been published by Cypress Choral Music, recorded by Elektra Women’s Choir of Vancouver, and was featured on a 2018 broadcast of CBC’s Sunday Choral Concert.
In 2018, she retired from the Toronto District School Board where she taught elementary music for 28 years in order to devote more time to solo piano work, composing original music, establishing her home studio, and spending time with her son.
Emilia is a very proud Mexican dancer, teacher and choreographer. She relocated to Toronto to join the Dance Performance Program at Centennial College. Emilia has trained in all dance techniques but Jazz and Contemporary are her true passion. She has been a part of several musicals in Mexico City like, “Dorian Gray, El Musical”, “La Fábrica de Santa” and “La Bella Durmiente” as Aurora and in Toronto, “Parade” with Wavestage Productions. Emilia choreographed “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with Doctor Bird Productions and is currently working on their next production “Jekyll and Hyde”.
Emilia is ecstatic to join Singing Out as a choreographer and be surrounded by beautiful people who share her love for music and dance.
