Aby Wolf on Music and Arts Education

How did you get into making music, and how did arts education (or lack thereof) affect you and your music?

I’ve been singing as long as I’ve been breathing, according to my mother. She played the piano while I was still in the womb, so by the time I was born I was no stranger to melody and harmony and a steady beat. Long into my childhood, I recall singing and dancing in the living room while she practiced her songbook. I’ve always had a keen ear for harmonies, to which I attribute this early shared musical experience with my mother.

I played percussion in junior high and high school marching band and pep band (“Wipe Out” was my jam). I also sang in the choir, qualifying for the Illinois State Music Festival in both my junior and senior year. I’m from a village (literally) in rural Illinois called Scales Mound, and it’s amazing (but no surprise) that I had one teacher in school to help me cultivate all my musical skills from kindergarten to graduating high school!! Thanks, Sharon Phillips. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I was her star pupil in competitions and concerts for a great deal of my youth. Growing up as a talent in a small town pretty much spelled out my innermost dream: to live and breathe as a musician and an artist.

I’ve lived in Minneapolis now for nearly nine years, and I sought one-on-one vocal jazz instruction at MacPhail School of Music for a few semesters. After that, I joined Omaur Bliss’s band for two years before stepping out to focus on my own material. I’ve been studying with my teacher, Myo-O, for two years now, and am very close to releasing my first solo album!

Growing up in such a small environment was pretty limiting in a lot of ways… On one hand, all I had to inform my knowledge of music in school was the curriculum chosen by one woman…for all thirteen years! We didn’t catch a whole lotta classic rock in Scales Mound School, or even get very deep into the greats of jazz! My musical food consisted mostly of popular music and classical. On the other hand, Sharon Phillips single-handedly nurtured my musical education for a long time, drove me to contests and festivals–and I consider myself fortunate to have had such a passionate teacher.

Did I turn out alright given my limited situation? Yes. I’m excited to be exactly where I am on my musical path, and I appreciate all the guidance thus far. Could I have benefited from a broader spectrum of musical education in my school? HELL YES. Without a DOUBT. Who knows what opportunities would have come my way with a better education.

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