Mrs. Barnes has been passionate about teaching choral music for 20 years. She kick-started her career by earning her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN). Calling Minnesota “home” for a while, she directed elementary music, large church choirs (all ages), and voice master classes (high school). She then spent six years teaching at a large middle school before making a move to Southern California. Now in the land of warmth and sunshine, she has stayed busy teaching by picking up substitute jobs, teaching private voice, and spending all last year in the Capo district in a long-term sub position.

Mrs. Barnes loves to teach young people the joy and art of making beautiful music, inspiring them to reach people through the gift of song. While she has appreciated her ability to do this in public school settings, she is eager to lean into her faith, because the most impactful music comes from a heart of worship. As her mentor Dr. Rene Clausen would say, “we use our God-given musical gifts, always striving to remove as many musical imperfections as we can, to make it a worthy gift of worship back to our Creator.” 

Education
Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, Concordia College (MN)