Fun Facts

What is a favorite moment of working with students at Ouachita?

Any time a student has an “ah-ha!” moment and grasps a concept that they then apply to their singing, resulting in a vocal, physical, or mental “breakthrough.”

What is your favorite place on campus and why?

When I have a little spare time, I love to take walks along the Ouachita River by the Speer Pavilion. It is so serene.

What is your go-to snack?

M&M's.

What is your beverage of choice at Dr. Jack's?

White Chocolate Mocha.

What are your hobbies?

Reading, traveling, coloring, and performing in local theatre productions.

Areas of Expertise

Courses taught

• Applied Voice
• Vocal Literature
• OBU Connections: Becoming the Beatles
• Vocal Diction 2: German and French
• Ouachita Sounds (Show Choir)
• From Sight to Sound: The Journey Stories Take Becoming Musicals and Operas (Honors Seminar)
• Revolutions and Revelations: The Beatles and Religion (Honors Seminar)

Research Interests

• Staging Art Song Cycles
• Vocal Literature by Female American Composers
• The Beatles
• Performance Psychology

Representative Publications/Presentations

• “Operatic Influences on the Hymn Tunes Used by John and Charles Wesley”, Amazing Love! How Can It Be: Studies on Hymns by Charles Wesley, ed. Chris Fenner and Brian G. Najapfour, Biblical Spirituality Press, 2020.
• Everything Changes: A Cabaret. Presented with John Alec Briggs at the National Association of teachers National Convention, Las Vegas, NV, 2018.
• Dissertation: A Director’s Guide to staging the Song Cycle, Songs of Fields and Prairies, by Jocelyn Hagen, 2008.

Involvement

• National Association of Teachers of Singing
• Sigma Alpha Iota
• Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance
• College Music Society
• The Voice Foundation
• National Opera Association
• Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society
• National Federation of Music Clubs

Artist Bio

Faculty Recitals

• Caffeinated: My Senior BMMT Recital (2019)
  • Based on the Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre senior recital
  • Classical songs and arias, vocal chamber music, musical theatre songs and duets, a song and tap dance number, and a scene by Shakespeare
• Everything Changes: A Motherhood Cabaret (2017)
  • Autobiographical musical theatre cabaret about motherhood
  • OBU professor John Alec Briggs served as pianist and music director
  • Co-written and directed by Broadway veteran Kelli Barrett (Liza Minelli – Fosse/Verdon)
  • Presented at the 2018 National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference (Las Vegas, NV), OBU (2017 & 2018), Arkansas Tech University (2017), and Blue Mountain College (2017).

Operatic Performances

• Gems of French Opera/Opera in Concert
• Mary, the Mother of Jesus/Rendezvous with Destiny (World Premiere)
• Mabel/Pirates of Penzance
• Laurie/The Tender Land
• Sandrina/La Finta Giardiniera
• Little Red Riding Hood/Little Red Riding Hood
• Polly/Polly Patchwork/IU Opera Educational Tour
• Worldly Spirit/The Obligation of the First Commandment
• Kentucky Opera
  • Dialogues des Carmélites, Les pêcheurs de perles, Madama Buttlerfly, La bohème
• Piedmont Opera
  • Cavaliere Rusticana/I Pagliacci, Il Trovatore, Don Giovanni, L’elisir d’amore
• Opera Carolina
  • La bohème
• Indiana University Opera Theater
  • Suor Angelica, La bohème

Oratorio Solos

• Handel’s Messiah
• Mendelssohn’s Elijah
• Fauré’s Requiem
• Haydn’s Creation
• Brahms’ German Requiem
• Bach’s Magnificat
• Vivaldi’s Gloria
• Vaughan Williams’ Pilgrim’s Progress

Orchestral Solos/Chamber Work

• Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate
• Glière’s Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra
• Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre

Theatre/Musical Theatre

• It’s a Wonderful Life/Hot Springs Bathhouse Dinner Theatre
• Matilda/The Studio Theatre
• A Little Night Music/Bloomington Music Works
• My Fair Lady/Davidson Community Players
• The Butterfingers Angel/Davidson Community Players
• Play It Again, Sam/Davidson Community Players

DR. GARRETT PLAYLIST

STUDENT PLAYLIST

 

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS BY DR. GARRETT’S STUDENTS

Professional Performances

• Arkansas Children’s Theatre (Little Rock, AR)
• Biblical Times Dinner Theatre (Pigeon Forge, TN)
• Birmingham Children’s Theatre (Birmingham, AL)
• Disney College Program (Orlando, FL)
• Fancyful Parties (Little Rock, AR)
• Hawks Cay Resort (Florida Keys)
• Horn in the West (Boone, NC)
• Million Dollar Quartet National Tour
• Missoula Children’s Theatre (Missoula, MT)
• Murry’s Dinner Playhouse (Little Rock, AR)
• North Texas Performing Arts (Plano, TX)
• Ogunquit Playhouse (Ogunquit, ME)
• The Phoenix Theatre Company (Phoenix, AZ)
• The Rev. Theatre Co. (Auburn, NY)
• Sierra Repertory Theatre (Sonora, CA)
• Sight & Sound Theatre (Branson, MO)
• Sight & Sound Theatre (Lancaster, PA)
• Silcock’s Winter Wonderland (Manchester, UK)
• Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO)
• Six Flags over Texas (Dallas, TX)
• TEXAS Outdoor Musical (Canyon, TX)
• Trumpet in the Land (New Philadelphia, OH)
• Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios (Orlando, FL)
  • The Great American Movie Ride
  • Indiana Jones Stunt Show (Marian)
  • Jedi Training Program (Nedriss)
• Wayside Theater (Middletown, VA)

Music Educators

• Bright Elementary School (St. Leon, IN)
• Burnet Elementary School (Galveston, TX)
• Como Montessori School (Fort Worth, TX)
• Conway Christian School (Conway, SC)
• Dripping Springs ISD (Dripping Springs, TX)
• Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter School (Jacksonville, AR)
• Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, AR)
• Malvern Elementary School (Malvern, AR)
• Maumelle Charter Elementary School (Maumelle, AR)
• MicroSociety Magnet School (Jonesboro, AR)
• Noble-Reed Elementary School (Crandall, TX)
• Poyen School District (Poyen, AR)
• Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, TX)
• Springtown High School (Springtown, TX)
• Woodlawn High School (Woodlawn, AR)

Worship Leaders

• Fellowship Bible Church (West Little Rock, AR)
• Fellowship Worship (Northwest AR)
• Lake Valley Community Church (Hot Springs, AR)
• The Leland Church (Leland, NC)
• Lyndon Baptist Church (Louisville, KY)
• Prestonwood Baptist Church (Plano, TX)

Summer Programs/Study Abroad

• Broadway Artist Alliance Workshops (New York, NY)
• Musica nelle marche Opera in Italy Summer Program
• OBU’s NYC Professional Intensive for Musical Theatre (New York, NY)
• Opera in Concert’s Opera in Italy Summer Study Abroad Program
• Study Abroad at Liverpool Hope University (Liverpool, England)
• Study Abroad at the Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria)
• University of Miami Salzburg Program (Salzburg, Austria) 

Awards

• Arkansas District Metropolitan Opera Encouragement Award Winner
• Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Musical Theater Initiative (KCFTCF) Music Theatre Winner 
• Mary Shambarger Vocal Competition Winners
• NATS Arkansas Chapter Winners
• NATS Southern Region Winners
• Trinity Presents Collegiate Performance Showcase Winner (2013)

Graduate Program Acceptances

• Campbell University School of Divinity
• Indiana University-Bloomington Early Music Institute
• Liverpool Hope University
• New York University
• North Texas University
• Northeastern Illinois University
• Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
• The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Texas Tech University
• Tulane University
• University of Alabama
• University of Arkansas
• University of Louisville
• Yale University Early Music Institute Finalist