From a very early age, I knew that I wanted music to be a part of my professional career. After singing and performing all throughout grade school, I attended the University of Texas at Austin School of Music, where I majored in Choral Music Studies and earned my All-Level Teaching Certificate. I then went on to teach middle school choir for Northside ISD, Austin ISD, and a private school in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. I spent my evenings in musical rehearsals, singing in community choirs, reading, running, and playing the piano.
I first discovered Music Together® at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a new mom and military wife. I had tried a few different “mommy-and-me” classes that just didn’t feel right, but even before finishing one summer session with Angela Lynch at Fayetteville Music Together, I was hooked. My eldest son and I would attend classes for almost two years, my second son joining us in class for the first time (in the outside world, that is!) when he was just two weeks old.
After completing my Music Together teacher training, my little family and I moved to Houston, where I had the privilege to teach at Prelude Music under the direction of Ana Treviño-Godfrey. We spent only a year in Houston before career opportunities brought us back to my hometown of Austin. In the coming years, I would focus on homeschooling my boys, starting a business, becoming a girl-mom, teaching private lessons, and singing professionally. Currently, I teach choir for a local homeschool collaborative, own and operate a children’s book subscription box, and perform with my sisters as a background vocalist to our brother, Gary Clark, Jr.
I am very excited to be teaching Music Together again as part of the Heartsong team and look forward to making music with many wonderful families here in the Austin area!
"We LOVED Shanan. She was very sweet and welcoming. I particularly appreciated how she encouraged adults to participate in a positive, low pressure way. She was also great at explaining the benefits of different aspects of the class in an understandable, succinct way without distracting from what we were doing. This was great for me because I know nothing about music or music education."
"Shanan is a great teacher! She has a beautiful voice and creates a loving atmosphere to make all of the kids comfortable. "
"Fantastic teacher, very tuned in to what the children are saying, and adds to the songs to reflect their enthusiasm. Very talented musician who convincingly articulates the value of music in development."