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Joanna Percy

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Reading
  • Walking

Reading

  • Adult Fiction
  • Classics
  • Psychology
  • Music

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

I intend to encourage, inspire, and care for others through musical storytelling. Everyone has a story; she wants to empower others to raise their voices and improve the world. In my private studio, I have seen my students grow into more confident people. As section leader and soloist at First Presbyterian of Wheaton and as a private and group music teacher, I have seen the power of music to give people hope and solace. Passionate about opera, art, song, language, and theatre, I want to use as many tools as possible to share stories with others better. In my studies abroad, I have learned there is power in knowing different languages and cultures. I am a Senior Vocal Performance Major at Wheaton College. I cannot remember a time when I was not enamored by music and storytelling. Deidre Meyers, my high school voice teacher, first introduced me to opera and art songs, and it was love at first sight. Placing as a finalist in the Verdi Opera Competition, The American Prize, and the Schmidt regional competition and performing in local theater productions affirmed my ambitions. Because of scholarships from Wheaton’s Career and Vocational Center and the Global Studies department, immensely supportive parents, and the wonderful guidance of Dr. Sarah Holman, I have spent past summers immersed in music and language in Italy and Germany. When not practicing, I love teaching private music lessons in my studio and singing at First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton.

Education

Wheaton College (IL)

Bachelor's degree program

2021 – 2025

Majors:
  • Music

Oxford Middle School

High School

2017 – 2021

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Medical school interest:
No

Career

  • Teaching Assistant to Dr. Sarah Holman, Vocal Studies Chair

    Music · Wheaton College

    Jan 2023 – Present

  • Worker at Circulation desk

    Libraries · Buswell Library, Wheaton College

    Jan 2021 – Jan 2023

  • Group Voice Teacher for Fall Semester 2024

    Music · Chicago Christian Youth Theater

    Jan 2024 – Jan 2024

  • Voice teacher and Music Director

    Music · Wheaton Park District

    Jan 2024 – Jan 2024

  • Section leader

    Music · St John’s Lutheran church Wheaton Illinois

    Jan 2021 – Jan 2022

  • Barista

    Consumer Services · Starbucks

    Jan 2020 – Jan 2021

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Music
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Hicks Scholarship Award
November of 2023 was a very eventful month; I had won my school's vocal division of the concerto competition, I was preparing a lead role for my conservatory's opera mainstage, and my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer. This news shook my world. Suddenly, my father had to take several days off each month for her treatments. My mother could no longer handle her employment as my grandmother's caretaker. Because of this, my grandmother, who previously lived with us, is now in an assisted living facility. This has posed a significant financial strain on my family. This sent me into a deep spiral of depression. I felt guilty for being away from my Michigan home, studying in Chicago. Yet, I could not heal the cancer by being home. Through this time my mother insisted that I kept singing, yet I felt like my music was useless. My mother would call me and tell me how songs she encountered would make her day brighter. I used to strive for musical excellence, and I still do, but now I primarily want my music to inspire hope. To bear people away, even if it is just for a moment, to a plain of existence that is free of the burdens of their lives. My very supportive, generous, and self-sacrificing parents insisted that my sister and I complete our degrees and would not limit or ask us for assistance. However, I knew that I needed to be in Michigan as soon as I graduated. I am passionate about attending the University of Michigan and would love nothing more than to attend, but the financial burden of tuition makes this problematic. I have continued my musical education through the summers because I constantly seek and apply for scholarships. I am fully prepared to also work through graduate school, but at any time, I might have to take off work if my mother's or grandmother's condition worsens. Scholarships like this one are my saving grace for continuing the life of my song. I have always worked multiple jobs whilst in undergrad to pay for extra coaching and student tickets for the symphony and opera, but also for necessities such as food and clothes. Thankfully, most of my jobs have been in music, as section leader and soloist at a church, music teacher, and director. Every week I sing alongside women, some of whom have themselves battled cancer, I watch how despite being in pain they find joy in the community of song. I intend to share song and empower others to sing through my private teaching and by working in local organizations. I want to continue to share music especially in public schools and assisted living facilities.
Pettable Pet Lovers Scholarship Fund
WCEJ Thornton Foundation Music & Art Scholarship
Music is my life preserver. Through chronic illness, mental health struggles, and grief music has and continues to save my life. Pain is a powerful isolator, but music is a shared experience with others across time and space. I have the privilege to attend Wheaton Conservatory for vocal performance, I am consistently struck by the privilege in the conservatory. I have been the given the gift of a loving and supportive family that possesses the monetary assets necessary to foster my passion. My privilege demands the responsibility of advocating for those who were not given such a gift. Music has healed my heart and I strive to empower others who feel as if they cannot contribute a verse to join in the sound. The calling to share music is where my outreach program was born. “Songs of my Sisters” is a project that aims to empower others through art song written by women. Art song is a form of classical vocal music where a composer is inspired by a poem and highlights the power of language through the potency of music. Singing art song taught me that music like life is not about finding affirmation from an audience but allowing them to be moved by your story. In art song, four stories meet, the message of the poet, the inspiration of the musician, the interpretation of the performer, and the reception of the listener. This space where people meet is a sacred space of connection, empowerment, creativity, and love, yet it is almost exclusively reserved for audiences that possess the monetary assets. We also live in a landscape still dominated by the stories of the privileged, but I aim with this project to share the stories of women from many different cultures by providing free shorter concerts at schools, nursing homes, and other community centers in the Chicago area over this next year. I want to help break down the monetary and temporal barriers that keep people from experiencing live performances of art song. The goal is to expose people to great literature and music, and to spread the stories of women who were often overlooked by their society. Through the songs of these women, others who once felt powerless and overlooked in society can realize that their own stories matter. The following playlist is me singing two art songs by the poet Emily Dickinson and the composer Aaron Copland.
Joanna Percy Student Profile | Bold.org