Background Check
Valerie O.
Background Check
Teaching Locations:
Online
About Valerie O.
I am a professional singer, songwriter, music and podcast producer, recording and performing artist. I was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist in a touring band in San Francisco and NYC. Over the past 10 years, I've recorded and released 3 albums, 2 EPs, and more than a dozen singles. I co-produced my latest album, released Dec 4, 2020, with a Grammy-award winning engineer.
Aside from my own artist music, I've written and top-lined more than 60 songs for a TV and film music production libraries. I also launched and produced the League of Women podcast, which included creating the theme music, interviewing and editing.
I teach students who have never written songs before as well as experienced songwriters who are stuck. I love empowering songwriters to record their own music as well, so they not only can write the songs they want, but also create productions they love.
Reviews
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Online
Valerie brings an incredible amount of passion, experience, and understanding to her online teaching. With over 15 years experience as a songwriter and music producer, she is able to break down the concepts in a way that is clear and comprehensible. Students leave her class feeling successful and wanting more.
Online
Valerie is a Great teacher!! We have co-taught songwriting and music production classes together and she is a joy to work with. She helps students learn key concepts of songwriting and music production while making it fun. If you are looking to develop your talent, definitely choose Valerie as a teacher, you'll be glad you did!
Photos & Videos
Experience
Co-Founder and Teacher
Jul 2020 - PresentSong Camp
BKLYN Studios Song Camp introduces youth to the songwriting process where they have the opportunity to explore song concepts and learn music production in order to develop their ideas. They will learn song elements, such as differentiating intros, verses, choruses, and whether or not to write a bridge, etc and standard forms to arrange their own songs. By collaborating and writing with one another, students will learn collaboration, communication and listening skills within the context of online platforms which have become critical in this time of remote learning.
NYC Chapter Co-Lead and Teacher
Jan 2016 - PresentBeats By Girlz
Beats By Girlz is a non-traditional, creative and educational music technology curriculum, collective and community template designed by Associate Professor at The Berklee College of Music, Erin Barra-Jean.
Private Instructor
Jan 2012 - PresentLost Sox Productions
Private lessons for music production, songwriting, beatmaking, and voice for all ages.
Beatmaking Teaching Artist
Dec 2019 - Apr 2020ASAP! (After School Arts Program)
The goal of ASAP!'s Empathy Project was to make empathy the fabric of communication throughout the high school community and beyond. The project was in an experiential integrative sharing connecting written and spoken word, music, movement, film, and sculpture. I taught beatmaking on Ableton Live and the Ableton Push to ~40 high school students.
Podcast Producer
Feb 2018 - Nov 2019League of Badass Women
I curated, produced and interviewed badass women, non-binary and transgendered people around the world about power, privilege and personal transformations to change the workplace and beyond. I produced the music for the podcast, recorded and edited the interviews in Ableton Live.
Beats Intensive Teaching Artist
Jan 2019 - Feb 2019Portland Public Schools
Based on the Beats By Girlz curriculum, I designed a curriculum and taught a 5-day (7 hours/day) course in music production in Ableton Live and songwriting for juniors and seniors at Casco Bay High School. Students collaborated in groups of 2-3 and ultimately created an album of fresh new songs, which they shared in a final performance.
Songwriting Mentor
Feb 2014 - Jun 2016SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young
SAY is a national non-profit organization that empowers, educates, and supports young people who stutter and the world that surrounds them.
Education
Bachelor of Arts and Sciences
Aug 1996 - May 2000Tufts University
Languages
English
Fluent / Native Proficiency
Certifications
Artist As Entrepreneur
Sep 2017New York Foundation for the Arts
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