Biography:

Heidi is a singer/songwriter/keyboardist/guitarist/welfarist who performs, teaches, and helps animals.  Heidi has a jazz piano background with a Bachelors degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and a Masters degree from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.  She has gone on to incorporate both voice and guitar in order to better reflect the musical styles of such heroes as James Taylor, Carla Bonoff, Aretha Franklin, Shawn Colvin and Carole King.

As a teacher, her background allows her to offer piano, vocal or guitar instruction in all styles, including Classical, Rock, Jazz, R&B, Gospel and Folk.  Her specialty is in confidence building and instruction for students from pre-teen to the older adult.  Her philosophy and practice is that it is never too late to bring out your gifts and enjoy the satisfaction of making music.  Regular get-togethers and performance opportunities are optional and range from no-stress home music parties to sets at local clubs offering students the opportunity to network and bond with each other and other musicians while gaining confidence and expertise in their craft.

Currently, Heidi's students have the unique opportunity of tailoring their instruction to meet their particular musical needs or desires and may choose to study any one or combination of piano, voice and guitar.  She teaches most afternoons and early evenings at her studio in Clarkston, Georgia, as well as on Mondays through Georgia State University's Neighborhood Music School Program.

As a songwriter/performer, Heidi has taken the genres indicated above and combined them with her personal experiences to create a personal style that might best be described as 'funky folk'.  Whether offering an original tune or a familiar tune (originally done), Heidi is known for creating an atmosphere that makes folks want to sing and dance along to her music, treating each performance more like a private party she is hosting in her own home.

Heidi, along with her professional musical friends, has the original group known as Heidi and the Hushpuppies, as well as the jazz/pop show band Body and Soul - and can therefore perform for any occasion with ensembles of any size (from solo and duo to big band complete with horns, multiple vocalists and percussion).

As an animal welfarist, Heidi is an Atlanta area representative of the national organization Dogs Deserve Better, whose goal is to educate the public and our legislators about the dangers of keeping companion and guardian animals constantly restrained on chains or in claustrophobic or inadequate pens or crates.  Her greatest accomplishment to date was leading an effort to add several items to the DeKalb County Georgia Ordinance that banned stationary chaining and improved living conditions for companion and guardian animals in that county and will hopefully therefore serve as a model for other counties to follow.

It is obviously a great pleasure for Heidi when she gets a chance to combine her passions and has the opportunity to perform for animal related events.

To keep up with all of her activities and her own beloved doggies Ralph, Ella and Sophie Brynn, Heidi can be found taking dance classes and performing with Studio Dionne (currently in Atlanta's Inman Park neighborhood) and specializing in both adult and children's classes in ballet, jazz, hip-hop and modern styles.