Dana Lentini, Founder & Master Teacher

 

Creating Born 2 Sing Kids

Through her years as a mother, teacher and professional singer, Dana Lentini has sought many opportunities to grow and learn about the art and science of singing.  She has taught kindergarten through sixth grade general music and directed children’s choirs. While working with children, she utilized the skills she gained from watching her own children’s experiences with the Suzuki violin method. In 2008, Ms. Lentini combined her experience in music education with the interest of many eager young singers and developed Born 2 Sing Kids LLC. The classes designed for young singers were held at the Oxford Community Arts Center in Oxford, Ohio. The group classes were met with great success and brought many kids of varying ages and stages to weekly sessions learning the basic principles of singing. Teaching in a group setting proved to be a great experience as an introduction to the art of singing for young beginning singers. 

Teaching Background

Dana has been a member of the voice faculty in the Preparatory Department of the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and in the Department of Music at The College of New Jersey. She has served for several years as an adjudicator for the Michigan State Vocal Music Association Solo and Ensemble competition as well as The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Voice Competition. In addition to her teaching at the college level, she has also taught K through 6th grade general music at St. Paul’s School in Princeton, New Jersey. She has directed high school and elementary youth choirs at St. Paul's Church in Princeton, New Jersey, and at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Dana earned a Master’s Degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Oakland University, where her research focused on the development of teaching the young voice while establishing a deeper understanding and the demands of the 21st century voice teacher. In the summer of 2015, she attended the CCM Voice Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University and obtained Level 1 certification in Somatic Voiceworks™ (The LoVetri Method). Dana was the recipient of the 2018 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Joan Frey Boytim Award for Independent Teachers.

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Performance Background

Dana has performed a number of leading roles with opera companies that include the Michigan Opera Theatre, Great Lakes Lyric Opera, Toledo Opera, Opera Theatre at Wildwood, and the Shreveport Opera.  She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Livonia Symphony, Dearborn Symphony, Oakland University Symphony, and with the Wayne State University Symphonic Chorus and Orchestra. In addition, she regularly performs chamber music with her husband and guitarist, James Lentini. In the summer of 2016, the Lentini Duo was featured in Fiuggi, Italy at the Fiuggi Guitar Festival. Dana holds a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from The University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Oakland University. She received a Detroit Music Award in the category of “Best Classical Singer” from the Motor City Music Foundation for three consecutive years (2002-2004). Her teachers have included, Margaret Schaper, Lorna Haywood, and Nadine Washington.