Music Camp: Recorder Karate

Mary Sims began singing at the age of eight with Cantores in Ecclesia, a Portland, Oregon choir specializing in sacred liturgical music. Homeschooled alongside her 5 siblings, K – 12, she was already taking piano lessons, and singing quickly became her primary passion. By age 17, she was the featured soprano soloist alongside Richard Zeller, baritone, on that choir’s album, “Fauré Requiem – Messe Basse.”

Miss Sims earned her B.A. in Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance from Gonzaga University. She studied choral conducting with Dr. Randel Wagner while obtaining her M.A. at Eastern Washington University. There, she taught undergraduate music courses, including Class Voice, Music Appreciation, Music Theory, and History of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Mary went on to teach World Music, Pop Music, Music Fundamentals and Music Appreciation at North Idaho College, while also directing various community choirs in the eastern Washington/northern Idaho region.

For twelve years, Miss Sims has taught music and directed choirs in western Washington. She provides workshops and seminars on Gregorian chant, liturgical and early music performance practice and intensive choral workshops. She currently teaches private lessons at Snohomish County Music School, Tacoma Music Academy, and in her own practice, Studio Sims. She is a freelance soprano in a variety of choral ensembles throughout the Pacific Northwest, including her “choir of origin,” Cantores in Ecclesia. Those ties to her roots are further manifested in her drive to pass on a great love of music and the arts to other homeschooled students, in the hope of building a passionate and joyful generation to come.