Greetings from the
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Welcome to our Georgia NATS Chapter Website! On behalf of our chapter leadership team, I welcome you to explore our website to learn more about how to join our chapter membership, get involved in our annual events and activities, and find out more about our incredible members. As part of our mission, we seek to advance excellent in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research. By joining the National Association of Teachers of Singing, you become part of the largest organization of teachers of singing in the world, with around 7,000 members in more than 35 countries. Whether working in independent studios, community schools, elementary and secondary schools, or higher education, NATS members represent the diversity of today’s music landscape, teaching in all vocal styles. |
GEORGIA NATS CHAPTER 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
2025 GA NATS Auditions Masterclass Andrea Dismukes, guest artist clinician Kennesaw State University 
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2025 Georgia NATS Auditions
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2025 Georgia NATS Distinguished Teacher Award Recipient Dr. Carol Mikkelssen is a Professor Emerita at Valdosta State University, where she is actively teaching in the voice area. She has been an active NATS member for over 40 years. She has served as both the President of GA NATS and as the Governor of the Southeastern Region. She served on the National Board of Directors, and she is still serving for the Art Song Composition Award. Her students have regularly been awarded prizes for their excellence in their singing at our auditions. She has created a true legacy of singers that will continue to teach, perform, and inspire those around them. She represents the mission and spirit of our organization to advance excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research. Learn more about our honoree: VSU’s Carol Mikkelsen Honored for Lifetime of Lifting Voices, Shaping Artists - Valdosta State University 
2025 Georgia NATS
Teacher Enrichment Program Recipient Madeline Harts Columbus State University This summer I had the absolute privilege of attending the University of Utah Summer Vocology Institute in Salt Lake City, UT. A program dedicated to the study of vocology and advancement of professionals in the field, the experience is one that I count as the most rigorous and rewarding of my career. Learning from Dr. Ingo Titze, who is one of the main innovators of vocology as a field, the fundamentals of voice production, as well as dissecting larynxes, learning the latest in voice habilitation technique are experiences that I now take with me into my own work. Further, in my cohort I met voice professionals from around the world–from voice teachers to speech language pathologists and scientists. These colleagues I now call my friends. GA NATS and its generosity was instrumental in my attendance at the program. Their commitment to professionals seeking to further themselves and stay life-long students is a gift to teachers like myself. I can not thank them enough and encourage others to apply! Thank you GA NATS! |
2025 Georgia NATS Teacher Enrichment Program Recipient Jennifer D’Agostino Georgia Southern University This summer I was honored to receive the Teacher Enrichment grant from Georgia NATS. I was able to receive funds to attend the Estill Foundations online course and purchase the spectrogram application to accompany course material. In the undergraduate and graduate pedagogy courses I teach, I mention Estill and LoVetri, but have only attended a LoVetri event. After taking the Fundamentals course, I feel more confident talking about the Estill model to my class, and feel inspired to consider the certification courses. Foundations is an interactive 8 1/2 hour course that is split into the categories: introduction, paradigm & principles, power, source and filter, and conclusion. It was easy to take my time and complete other tasks while also completing the course. The small quizzes at the end of each section were easy, and the final exam was also a helpful way to reflect on the material. I appreciated the clarity of how material was presented, particularly the use of interactive slides. There were moments when the course would suggest a pause to explore using the spectrogram that accompanied the material. I am always looking for different ways to present pedagogical concepts and I think students can learn a lot from the Estill categories for vocal tasks in the Attractor state charts. My goal is to find a better way to incorporate these ideas and charts into the pedagogy course I teach at Georgia Southern. I feel confident that I can introduce the ideas in the Attractor state charts, with spectogram, in my class schedule on the days that we spend reviewing vocalises. Students appreciate being able to discuss the purpose of vocalises as listed in our current textbook, and to walk through a variety of scenarios. The Attractor state charts will allow us to go even further with identifying the ideal quality for each sound. I am grateful to be a recipient of the GANATS TEC award and look forward to seeing how other colleagues have used the grant |