Intro & Welcome

Hi, my name is Christina Ann (Joanna) Barrett, but people just call me Christina.

I was born in Southeastern Florida in the Miami region.  I've also lived in Northeastern, Florida, in Jacksonville as a small child and later in Saint Augustine, Northeastern Florida, the oldest continuing city in the US.  I lived in the New Orleans area, right across the bridge, age 12 to college.

I went to Loyola University New Orleans when I was 18 out of high school for a year studying
- Degree Program: Vocal and Instrumental Music Education
- Degree Program: Music Performance
- Major Instruments: Piano/Organ
- Other Instruments: Singing, Xylophone (Glockenspiel) in Band, Violin in Group String Class
- Minor: Ballet

I went to New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA|Riverfront) one summer and one year on Saturdays and got the award for highest achievement.

I went to the 1st summer camp for high school organists at age 18, which was a week, at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Skills/Hobbies
1- I started gymnastics classes at age 1 3/4 until I was 8, as well as at age 17/18/19.
2- I started wanting to sing at age 5, after watching singing early on in kindergarten.
3- I sang on my own and memorized church songs starting at age 6.
4- I sang in church choir, sometimes connected to school, age 8-18 mostly, when available.
5- I wanted to play violin.
6- I wanted to teach myself piano for fun and to impress others at age 9 and got put in piano lessons.
7- I played mostly 1 line parts on keyboard playing in 3 pit orchestras for musicals in high school.
8- I've accompanied 3 Catholic masses using fake book style during high school.
9- I played organ around age 15-18.
10- I played violin in a group class in college at age 18 for 1 year and private lessons age 29-32.  I teach myself now.
11- I did ballet age 5-7 and 12-21.
12- I did theater in high school.
13- I was in Talented Music and Talented Theater in high school.
14- I've wanted to be an artist since I was 3 and a teacher since my little brother was in preschool.
15- I got a 34/36 in English on the ACT.
16- I was 4th in the state for Geometry my 1st year of high school, in Louisiana.

I dreamed of doing a DME (Doctorate of Music Education) or DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) in Performance.

I am teaching myself German.  I want to experience classical music in Europe.  I was going to do organ in France, when I was younger.  I am now 33 years old and was born on May 20, 1986.

...So, I hope to have fun on this blog writing words of wisdom of music.

I took a long break and sang for fun by myself and on YouTube while I wanted to be an actor, age 20 to around now.  I was inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005.)

I've thought of going back and getting a degree but really want to move to Germany and focus on just playing violin, also doing other things like piano and singing sometimes.