Songs
Tours
Photos
Us
Is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Heartland Youth Choir, a civic organization that serves over 150 Central Iowa singers. The choir is divided into five leveled choirs with students ages 6-18. The program focuses on music literacy, healthy vocal development, and character building.
Prior to her work with the Heartland Youth Choir, Barbara was the Artistic Director of the Iowa Youth Chorus, the Des Moines Children’s Choruses, the Anderson Area Children’s Choir of Anderson, Indiana, and the Lakes Treble Choir of Minnesota. Under her direction, choirs have performed for National Kodaly and Orff Conferences, regional Music Educators National Conferences, and American Choral Director’s Association conferences in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
As a specialist in the voices of youth, Barbara frequently serves as a guest conductor for high school and elementary festival choirs and honor choirs. She has guest conducted for numerous All-State choirs as well as various summer choir camps throughout the United States including; the International Music Camp, the Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic, the Indiana Choral Director’s Summer Music Institute, the Virginia Kodaly Summer Music Camp, the Drake School of Music Summer Camp, the Heartland Choral Camp, and the International Music Institute.
Barbara completed her Masters of Arts in Music
Education with a Kodaly emphasis from the University of St. Thomas in St.
Paul, Minnesota. She is also trained in Orff and Dalcroze methodology. She
is a frequent clinician for music educators throughout the United States and
teaches a Kodaly certification course at both Mississippi College in
Clinton, Mississippi and Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Barbara has fulfilled twelve commissioned works for treble choirs including
commissions for Iowa and Indiana All-State choirs. Her compositions are
published with Plymouth Music Company, Colla Voce Publishing, and Alliance
Publishing Company. Barbara has served on the Board of Directors for
numerous music organizations including: the National Organization of
American Kodaly Educators, the Midwest Kodaly Music Educators of America,
the Indiana Choral Directors Association, the Indiana Music Educators
Association, and the Iowa Choral Director’s Association.
Lori recently joined Heartland Youth Choir as Business Manager. She has much experience with small, non-profit organizations. She has previously worked for the Mid-Iowa Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Iowa Hospital Association, and the American Cancer Society. She has worked as a professional proofreader for the Legislative Service Bureau. Most recently, Lori was Choir Administrator for Des Moines Children's Choruses.
Lori received a BA in English/Spanish from Central College in Pella, Iowa. In her younger years, Lori appeared on stage in Oklahoma!, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, and The Miracle Worker. She was also a member of the Colfax Interfaith Dinner Theater. Lori has served in multiple capacities on the Boards of the Des Moines Mothers of Multiples Club, the Howard Street Christian Church in Colfax, the Colfax Preschool, and the Colfax-Mingo Area Food Pantry.
Lori lives in Colfax with her husband, Terry, and college-age daughters Erin and Megan.
Sandy Miller,
Associate Conductor
Sandy
Millers currently teaches music at Wallace Elementary in Johnston. She
holds a BME degree from the University of Northern Iowa, and is certified
for Level I in both Orff and Kodaly Music Methods. Sandy also directs the
children's choir at Immanuel United Methodist Church. She lives in Des
Moines with her husband Dean and their three children Nicholas, Brandon, and
Caitlin.