Music Education Spotlight: Elana Hardesty

Elana Hardesty, an 11-year-old fifth-grader, started taking voice lessons in December 2021 to improve her singing voice and gain confidence. She says singing is fun and makes her happy. So far, increasing her range has been her biggest challenge, and she has been working hard to overcome it. Her goal is to be able to sing confidently in front of people—if she could sing anywhere in the world, it would be on a Broadway stage, perhaps because she was inspired to be a singer by listening to Broadway music. Since her favorite experience singing was her first voice recital last December, it’s safe to say she’s making progress toward bigger stages!

Aside from singing, Elana also plays the piano and is interested in learning percussion. Her advice to others learning music is to practice in their spare time, and she says, You don’t have to sound perfect. You can just sound like yourself.”

Elana's favorite part of lessons is learning new songs, while her least favorite part is making mistakes. To be a successful singer or musician, she believes that confidence is key.

In her free time, Elana enjoys dancing, playing the piano, and baking. She would love to sing Flowers by Miley Cyrus, while her favorite musician is Bruno Mars and she wishes she could meet Idina Menzel.

Christa says, "Elana comes to each lesson prepared and ready to work. She jumps right in with enthusiasm, even when asked to do things that push her a out of her comfort zone. I have loved watching Elana grow as a singer both in her technique and her confidence. She is such a joy to teach!"