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I grew up on the west coast in White Rock, British Columbia listening to everything from Ella Fitzgerald, Queen, and Mariah Carey to Alanis Morrisette, Shania Twain, and Green Day, so it seems fitting that I’ve studied and performed in many genres from classical, jazz, and musical theatre, to pop, rock and country. My academic journey was a winding road: I started out at Kwantlen College (Classical Voice and Jazz), then moved to New York City to work for almost two years, then came back to Canada and attended UBC (Classical) and the Canadian College of Performing Arts (Musical Theatre and Commercial Music), then came to the University of Waterloo (all genres) to finish my degree. Later on, I did some vocal pedagogy training (Commercial Music) at the Boston Conservatory. As an artist, I’ve recorded a wide variety of music – a jazz cover of “Wonderwall” with fellow faculty member Jason White, a ton of pop music including my 2021 single “easier,” and a recent country single “Love Used To Live Here.” Outside of performing, I’m a private commercial music vocal coach who works with a broad range of clients including professional singers, indie artists, and aspiring performers in many styles of music. I’m also the artistic director of KW Glee, Canada’s top pop-rock youth choir.
I’m always studying various elements of vocal technique and working on new warm-ups and exercises to try with my students. I’m currently taking a course on Endoscopic Interpretation by Kerrie Obert, a speech language pathologist/singing health specialist from Columbus, Ohio, who is the co-founder of Integrated Vocal Pedagogy. I’m fascinated by the mechanics of singing.
I’ve received some lovely recognition over the years, including a Waterloo Region Arts Award, the Rogers Television Woman of the Year Award, the Region’s Top 40 Under 40 award, an Alumni Distinction Award from Conrad Grebel University, among other honours.
Some recent media articles include features in Nashville Voyager, Front Porch Music, and The Observer.
“I believe so wholeheartedly that uniqueness and variety should be embraced and celebrated. The industry loves to create boxes around artists; categorization plays such a huge role in music… and while I see that as helpful in some instances, I also love when artists expand outside the box and help to pave the way for new styles and trends. Just because we’ve always done something a certain way, doesn’t mean that’s the only way to do it.” https://nashvillevoyager.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-amanda-kind/
“To me, it’s (songwriting is) all about authentic stories. What I struggle to write about is stuff that doesn’t feel rooted in something really real.” https://frontporchmusic.ca/music/amanda-kind-interview/
“Prior to the pandemic, I kind of let performing and recording go for a bit and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until the pandemic came and gave me a chance to really examine my life and look at how I was filling my time and how much I enjoy creating music.” https://observerxtra.com/2022/08/18/the-good-and-the-bad-of-loving-and-losing/
My music is on all major streaming services. The most recent single is called “Love Used To Live Here,” which is currently spinning on country radio. https://ffm.to/amanda-kind-love-used-to-live-here
I perform all over Ontario singing everything from festivals and restaurant gigs to concerts and songwriter rounds. My gigs are usually posted on my website. https://www.amandakind.com/shows/
My first few weeks at Laurier have been really interesting. It’s been fun for me to get to know the students and figure out how best to help them on their musical journeys. As an educator, my goal is to cultivate confidence, personal pride, motivation, adaptability, technical awareness, and versatility in artists. It is an honour to educate, mentor, and advise other artists – especially young artists. Empowering the next generation of creative leaders to claim their space and share their unique artistry with the world is important work that I value immensely.