Passing It On

Today I'm excited to share that I'll be joining the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music this fall as a teacher in the Graduate Jazz Vocal Studies Program.

As I've reflected on this new chapter, I keep thinking back to an evening in May that perfectly captured what teaching means to me.

On May 16, I attended Samara Joy's concert with the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall. I had the privilege of being Samara's private jazz voice teacher during her freshman through junior years at SUNY Purchase—the very same role I'll now have at Manhattan School of Music.

The concert itself was extraordinary, but what moved me most was looking around the hall.

Sitting beside me was my undergraduate classical voice teacher, Nan Guptill-Crain. Joining us were several of my former colleagues from SUNY Purchase, including Dr. Sherry Overholt, my classical teacher during graduate school at Queens College. Years later, Sherry became Samara's classical teacher during her senior year at Purchase. In another beautiful twist, Nan and Sherry had studied with the same teacher decades earlier.

There we were: my teachers, my student, colleagues who had become dear friends, and one remarkable artist standing onstage with the New York Philharmonic. It felt like seeing the lineage of teaching made visible.

One of the evening's most touching moments came when Samara thanked several of her teachers by name from the stage. Hearing my name among those mentors was deeply meaningful, and the celebration continued afterward at a reception filled with former teachers, classmates, family, and friends.

As I prepare to begin teaching at Manhattan School of Music, I don't think first about a new institution. I think about the responsibility and privilege of working closely with young artists during such an important time in their lives.

I've been incredibly fortunate. My teachers invested in me. I had the opportunity to invest in students like Samara. Now I'll have the chance to mentor another generation of singers, who will one day become artists, educators, collaborators, and mentors themselves. Taking what was shared with me, combined with my lived experience, and passing it on.

It's also the spirit behind JazzVoice. We gather here not simply to learn technique, repertoire, or improvisation. We build relationships that last a lifetime. Every lesson, master class, jam session, and conversation becomes part of a larger musical community that extends far beyond any one school, one performance, or one career.

I'm honored to continue that journey this fall, and grateful that so many of you are part of it.

—Alexis