Fun Facts

What is a favorite moment of working with students at Ouachita?

Any time a student has an “ah-ha!” moment and grasps a concept that they then apply to their singing, resulting in a vocal, physical, or mental “breakthrough.”

What is your favorite place on campus and why?

When I have a little spare time, I love to take walks along the Ouachita River by the Speer Pavilion. It is so serene.

What is your go-to snack?

M&M's.

What is your beverage of choice at Dr. Jack's?

White Chocolate Mocha.

What are your hobbies?

Reading, traveling, coloring, and performing in local theatre productions.

Areas of Expertise

Courses taught

• Applied Voice
• Vocal Literature
• OBU Connections: Becoming the Beatles
• Vocal Diction 2: German and French
• Ouachita Sounds (Show Choir)
• From Sight to Sound: The Journey Stories Take Becoming Musicals and Operas (Honors Seminar)
• Revolutions and Revelations: The Beatles and Religion (Honors Seminar)

Research Interests

• Staging Art Song Cycles
• Vocal Literature by Female American Composers
• The Beatles
• Performance Psychology

Representative Publications/Presentations

• “Operatic Influences on the Hymn Tunes Used by John and Charles Wesley”, Amazing Love! How Can It Be: Studies on Hymns by Charles Wesley, ed. Chris Fenner and Brian G. Najapfour, Biblical Spirituality Press, 2020.
• Everything Changes: A Cabaret. Presented with John Alec Briggs at the National Association of teachers National Convention, Las Vegas, NV, 2018.
• Dissertation: A Director’s Guide to staging the Song Cycle, Songs of Fields and Prairies, by Jocelyn Hagen, 2008.

Involvement

• National Association of Teachers of Singing
• Sigma Alpha Iota
• Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance
• College Music Society
• The Voice Foundation
• National Opera Association
• Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society
• National Federation of Music Clubs

Artist Bio

Dr. Garrett currently serves as Professor of Music – Voice at OBU, where she has taught since 2008. Courses she has taught include Applied Voice, Vocal Literature, Opera Workshop, Vocal Diction II: German and French, Ouachita Sounds, OBU Connections: Becoming the Beatles, Honors Seminar: The Beatles and Religion, and Honors Seminar: Sight to Sound: The Journey Stories Take Becoming Musicals and Operas. Her applied voice students have pursued degrees in Vocal Performance, Musical Theatre, Music Education, Worship Studies, and Music Industry.

Dr. Garrett’s students have consistently won awards in classical, musical theatre, and contemporary categories in state and regional NATS competitions and in OBU’s Mary Shambarger Competition for Singers. They serve as performers, music educators, and worship leaders across the country.

As an administrator, she serves as the Vocal Area Coordinator, is a member of the University Committee, and has chaired several committees and search committees. With NATS, she has served as Auditions Chair, Site Host, and Secretary at the state and regional level. She currently serves as the secretary for the Opera in the Ozarks Board of Directors and is a member of: the Arkadelphia Little Theatre; National Federation of Music Clubs (Arkansas Opera Chair); the Voice Foundation; College Music Society; Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance; Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity for Women; National Opera Association; National Association of Teachers of Singing; Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society; and Classical Singer.

Recent artistic activity in Central Arkansas includes Mrs. Alexander/Voice 6, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night (The Studio Theatre, Little Rock, AR – cast), Music Director/Orchestra Conductor, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Studio Theatre), Music Director, Little Women (Royal Theatre, Benton, AR), Evil Queen Grimhilde, Disney’s Descendants (Studio Theatre), Mrs. Phelps, Matilda (Studio Theatre), Aunt Tilly/Mrs. Hatch, It’s a Wonderful Life (Bathhouse Dinner Theatre, Hot Springs, AR), and piano/vocal worship leader (Hope Church – PCA, Hot Springs, AR).

Dr. Garrett teaches a range of vocal styles, including classical, musical theatre, pop/rock, jazz, and R&B. During her spring 2024 sabbatical, she studied jazz and R&B through Berklee College of Music Online. In addition, she has studied musical theatre and CCM vocal pedagogy with Mary Ann Kyle, Mary Saunders-Barton (Bel Canto Can Belto), Edrie Means Weekly (Shenandoah CCM Pedagogy Workshop), Sheri Sanders (Rock the Audition), Robert Edwin (Bach to Rock), Jeannette LoVetri (Somatic Voicework), and Mark Clark (Singer-getics). She is trained in the Estill Vocal Method, McClosky Vocal Technique, and Alexander Technique. Recognizing that psychology is a vital part of teaching voice and performing, she has studied Acceptance & Commitment Training (Voice Study Centre, England), Vocal Health, Mindfulness, and Performance Psychology.

This semester (Fall 2024) she is directing OBU’s opera, Cendrillon (Cinderella) by Pauline Viardot with English translation by Rachel M. Harris. In spring 2025 she will serve as soprano soloist for OBU’s presentation of Carmina Burana and will present a faculty recital.

A native of Tampa, Florida, Dr. Garrett now calls Arkadelphia home. She and her family are members of Park Hill Baptist Church and enjoy participating in community theatre.

Dr. Garrett Playlist

Student Playlist

Selected Achievements By Dr. Garrett's Students

Professional Performances

• Actors Theatre of Little Rock (Little Rock, AR)
• A.D. Players at The George Theatre (Houston, TX)
• Arkansas Children’s Theatre (Little Rock, AR)
• Arkansas PBS (Conway, AR)
• Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (Pine Bluff, AR)
• Biblical Times Dinner Theatre (Pigeon Forge, TN)
• Birmingham Children’s Theatre (Birmingham, AL)
• Courage and Kindness Character Entertainment (Springdale, AR)
• Disney College Program (Orlando, FL)
• Disneyland Paris (Paris, France)
• Fancyful Parties (Little Rock, AR)
• Good Day NWA (KNWA, Fayetteville, AR)
• Hawks Cay Resort (Florida Keys)
• Horn in the West (Boone, NC)
• Million Dollar Quartet National Tour
• Missoula Children’s Theatre (Missoula, MT)
• Murry’s Dinner Playhouse (Little Rock, AR)
• North Texas Performing Arts (Plano, TX)
• Ogunquit Playhouse (Ogunquit, ME)
• Once Upon a Fairytale (Branson, MO)
• The Phoenix Theatre Company (Phoenix, AZ)
• The Rev. Theatre Co. (Auburn, NY)
• Sierra Repertory Theatre (Sonora, CA)
• Sight & Sound Theatre (Branson, MO)
• Sight & Sound Theatre (Lancaster, PA)
• Silcock’s Winter Wonderland (Manchester, UK)
• Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO)
• Six Flags over Texas (Dallas, TX)
• South Arkansas Arts Center (El Dorado, AR)
• The Stephen Foster Story (Bardstown, KY)
• TEXAS Outdoor Musical (Canyon, TX)
• Trumpet in the Land (New Philadelphia, OH)
• Two River Theater (Red Bank, NJ)
• Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios (Orlando, FL)
  • The Great American Movie Ride
  • Indiana Jones Stunt Show (Marian)
  • Jedi Training Program (Nedriss)
• Wayside Theater (Middletown, VA)

Music Educators

• Bright Elementary School (St. Leon, IN)
• Burnet Elementary School (Galveston, TX)
• Como Montessori School (Fort Worth, TX)
• Conway Christian School (Conway, SC)
• Dripping Springs ISD (Dripping Springs, TX)
• Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter School (Jacksonville, AR)
• Kilpatrick Bio-Medical Engineering Elementary School (Texarkana, TX)
• Lakeside School District (Hot Springs, AR)
• Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, AR)
• Malvern Elementary School (Malvern, AR)
• Maumelle Charter Elementary School (Maumelle, AR)
• MicroSociety Magnet School (Jonesboro, AR)
• Noble Elementary School (Hamburg, AR)
• Noble-Reed Elementary School (Crandall, TX)
• Poyen School District (Poyen, AR)
• Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, TX)
• Springhill Elementary (Alexander, AR)
• Springtown High School (Springtown, TX)
• White Hall School District (White Hall, AR)
• Woodlawn High School (Woodlawn, AR)

Worship Leaders

• Fellowship Bible Church (West Little Rock, AR)
• Fellowship Worship (Northwest AR)
• Immanuel Baptist Church (Little Rock)
• Lake Valley Community Church (Hot Springs, AR)
• The Leland Church (Leland, NC)
• Lyndon Baptist Church (Louisville, KY)
• Prestonwood Baptist Church (Plano, TX)

Summer Programs/Study Abroad

• Broadway Artist Alliance Workshops (New York, NY)
• Musica nelle marche Opera in Italy Summer Program
• OBU’s NYC Professional Intensive for Musical Theatre (New York, NY)
• Opera in Concert’s Opera in Italy Summer Study Abroad Program
• Study Abroad at Liverpool Hope University (Liverpool, England)
• Study Abroad at the Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria)
• University of Miami Salzburg Program (Salzburg, Austria)

Awards

• Arkansas District Metropolitan Opera Encouragement Award Winner
• Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Musical Theater Initiative (KCFTCF) Music Theatre Winner 
• Mary Shambarger Vocal Competition Winners
• NATS Arkansas Chapter Winners
• NATS Southern Region Winners
• Trinity Presents Collegiate Performance Showcase Winner (2013)

Graduate Program Acceptances

• Campbell University School of Divinity (Buies Creek, NC)
• Indiana University-Bloomington Early Music Institute (Bloomington, IN)
• Liverpool Hope University (Liverpool, England)
• New York University (New York, NY)
• North Texas University (Denton, TX)
• Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, IL)
• Ouachita Baptist University School of Education (Arkadelphia, AR)
• Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC)
• The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY)
• Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX)
• Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)
• University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
• University of Arkansas School of Law (Fayetteville, AR)
• University of Louisville (Louisville, KY)
• Yale University Early Music Institute Finalist (New Haven, CT)