Meet Jan Shapiro

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jan Shapiro.

Hi Jan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My Story began in Festus, Missouri, where I grew up. I am the oldest of four children. My parents were hard-working and very strict. I was born on May 10, 1949. My mother always said that she noticed when I was a baby that I could hum musical lines back to her when she sang and played the piano. She told me much later that she thought all children must be able to do that. But then she said her other three children did not do that! I am from the St. Louis area, raised in Festus, Missouri. My father and uncle owned a ” Shapiro Brothers ” scrap iron business.” I began my professional singing career at age 21. I was fortunate to make a living as a vocalist, performing first in St. Louis and other country areas. I started musical training as a little girl, dancing and singing at the age 5 years old. My mother taught me piano and how to read music. I had excellent classical vocal training for many years. I also play the piano, flute, and guitar. In 1985, I moved from St. Louis to Boston, MA to accept a full-time position at Berklee College of Music.

After 31 years, I retired from Berklee and returned to my home in Missouri, St. Louis summer of 2017. One of my goals was to help our musically talented youth in the St. Louis area. I teach private lessons in my home studio. I volunteer my teaching to the talented youth, artists, and musicians of St. Louis who cannot afford to take private instruction. I have assisted Harvey Lockhart’s “Healing Arts” students who wish to learn more about singing. Before the pandemic, I was a mentor to artists who appeared at the Krantzberg ‘Dark’ Room. My grandfather Harry (Isaack) Shapiro, was born in 1889 and came from an area close to the Russian border -close to Ukraine. He left when he was about eighteen to escape the Nazi regime. He sang in his temple as a young man in his ‘home country.’ When he came to the US, he went to see his older brother Jacob, who lived in Tennessee. “Papa,” Shapiro sang in tent shows making his way to the south to see his brother. There he met his future wife, my Grandma Nellie Swaite. After they married, they moved to St. Louis, MO.

Around 1918, The Spanish Flu became very bad in St. Louis. So my grandfather decided that he, Nellie, and their young son Leon ( my uncle) should move farther away. They moved to a small town 35 miles south of St. Louis called Festus. Five Shapiros came from “Harry” and Nellie Shapiro- Leon, the oldest, Ann, Samuel, Earl, and Betty. After World War II, my father, Earl Shapiro, and his brother Leon Shapiro started a scrap iron business called ‘Shapiro Brothers in Festus, MO.

My mother, Virginia, also came from a very musical family. Her father was an excellent violin player, although he did not play for a living. My mother played piano and timpani drums and sang in high school. She loved music and was my biggest musical influence.

My sister and I are two years apart. We were small when my mother enrolled my sister and me in dance classes. I sang and danced by the age of 5 or 6 years old. My mother taught me how to read music and play beginning piano by age 6. I then started formal piano lessons with a piano teacher in Festus, MO. I also sang and danced in recitals from age 5 years old to about eleven or twelve. I began formal voice lessons at the age of fifteen, and in high school, I participated in chorus and musicals and played flute and bell lyre in the high school band. I also played guitar and played for fun during high school.

Even as a small child, I knew I loved to sing. I knew I always wanted to sing, but when I was a junior-senior in high school, I became afraid to tell my parents what I wanted to do. My mom wanted to ensure I had something” to fall back on.” I tried telling my parents that I only wanted to make music but became afraid to tell them. In those days, there were two choices for women to become teachers or nurses. My Uncle Leon and their family lived next to us my whole life. One of my cousins became a nurse, so I decided I would go to school to be a nurse, but also I decided that in this way, I could be on my own and not live at home and do what I wanted to do, which was to sing and study music. I continued to take voice lessons until I moved to St. Louis to attend Mercy College for nursing school. I graduated from a new two-year program ( instead of three years) at Mercy Junior College, passed a state board, and became a Registered Nurse. I also dated a young man attending the University of Missouri, Columbia, during this time. So at age 20, I became engaged and got married. For about six months, we lived in Columbia, Missouri. My then-husband continued to go to school to complete his degree, and I worked as a nurse at a hospital in Columbia. I became very depressed and unhappy.

My then-husband finished his degree, and we moved to an apartment In St. Louis. A few months back in St. Louis, my husband and I separated, eventually divorcing. I resumed my voice lessons and later studied music theory as a nurse. Still determining the exact date, around 1970, I decided to go back to school for music, paying my way by working in the emergency room at St. John’s Mercy Hospital. After a while, I saved enough money to go to school full-time. I found a room to rent in Webster Groves, MO., and went to school full time-working weekends in the emergency room. Through this period, I was fortunate to have good friends who encouraged me and believed in my talent. One couple in particular, Muriel and Ray Hines were my parent’s age but recognized my talent and potential. They were my cheerleaders, and I will forever be indebted to them. Muriel and Ray Hines would take me to ‘nightclubs’ where there would be a pianist and tell the pianist,’ she can sing- you have to let her sing something for you”. I gained confidence from these little musical experiences.

Before attending the “Institute of Music,” I started playing and singing guitar at the “White Horse Lounge.” I only realized later that I was a ‘front’ for gambling in the back of the club! When I went back to school full time, I met a pianist, Ed Plitt, a senior at the St. Louis Institute of Music (The Institute moved from Clayton and became part of Maryville College, which later became a university). Both Ed Plitt and I attended school at the St. Louis Institute of Music – Maryville College. Even though I had two years of college in Nursing and passed a state board, I continued my vocal students and formal voice training. After about a year, I left Maryville College before obtaining a degree in music because I started singing clubs full time 6 nights a week and traveling ‘on the road’ in cities around the country. For months at a time, we mainly were ‘on the road’ playing at hotels and resorts for weeks. While performing in and out of town, I married pianist, Eddie Plitt.

Sometime between 1973- 1974, I decided that I wanted to learn more about music and, finish my degree in music and leave the St Louis area. Eddie and I disagreed about my ambitions and going to the St. Louis area. So we decided to divorce. Around that time, my former voice teacher Dr. Relford Patterson had moved from St. Louis as Chair of Fontbonne College to become the Chair of the Music Department at Howard University Washington, DC. I asked for his advice and help, and soon after, I was accepted into the music degree program at Howard University, Washington, DC. With a full scholarship. I moved to Washington, DC. I continued to sing 5 to 6 nights a week while attending school full-time, which was not easy! I graduated with a degree in Music Education / Music Therapy, Cum Laude, in 1978.

I had an agent who continued to book me in hotel lounges around the area. I worked together 5 to 6 nights a week while I went I attended classes at Howard University full time. During my second year at Howard, pianist Ed Plitt came to live with me in Washington, DC. I married Eddie Plitt for the second time while in Washington, DC. When I graduated, Eddie wanted to return to his hometown, St. Louis, because his family was there (and mine was also). I was reluctant because we had so much work in the D.C. area, plus I had an agent that booked us. We moved back to St. Louis-eventually living in the city, the historic Shaw neighborhood. It was a rough start to get back into the St. Louis music scene again after being away. We finally managed, but by then, things had changed. There were no local booking agents representing musicians. I became the better booking agent and booked our band and, later, sometimes another band. We again worked 6 nights a week at hotels and larger venues, including large private parties at exclusive Country Clubs and Hotels. On some venues, I booked a 14- 16-piece band.

In 1979, I had a son, Aaron. In 1981, I had another son Adam. I continued to sing nightly. One of the musicians we worked with, a trombone player, was the Chair of the Music Department at Southern Illinois University. He asked me to come to the college and present a clinic for music students several times. By the time my youngest son was 2 years old, I was singing 5-6 nights a week, singing demos, and writing songs. I taught one day a week at Fontbonne College’s Music Department and one day a week at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Although I did not advertise, I also received requests to teach private students voice lessons at home. While teaching at Southern Illinois University and Fontbonne, I became increasingly interested in education and jazz education. On the ‘gigs,’ I played flute and sometimes would play electric bass on a few tunes. During this time, I also wrote lyrics to other musicians’ songs and recorded some commercials and original songs. I joined the Jazz Educators Association and attended jazz conferences.

My then-husband, Eddie, and I separated around 1982. However, we still managed to work together, with me making all the group bookings. Around 1982-83, I noticed that the music ‘ business’ was again changing. Nightclubs were cutting out larger music ensembles for smaller ones. In my case, I would work with a pianist during the week and then add a bass player and more instrumentalists during the weekend. I saw that the nightly music venues were changing to no music. I also began to worry about my little boys. As my little boys grew to school age -I began to worry about not being home at night. When my sons were old enough to attend school, I would not see them as much or have time with them in the evenings. An SIUE colleague mentioned in the hall an ad in one of the music journals for a voice teacher at Berklee College of Music, Boston. Since I only had taken a few graduate courses at SIUE, I felt I would not be a candidate Berklee would want because I did not have a graduate degree. However, I did have fifteen years of performance experience, had studied voice for years with three excellent voice teachers, and had made recorded demos. I decided to send my resume to Berklee College in Boston. To my surprise, they called and asked me to come to the college for an interview. I went to Boston, and they offered me the job. But, the salary was too low, and I knew I could not afford the moving costs.

A year later, the Chair of the Voice Dept. at Berklee advocated for me to the new Dean of Faculty, Dr. Warrick Carter. Dr. Carter personally called me, and this time the offer was better. I accepted the position, and my life changed forever. As soon as I moved to the Boston area, I continued to sing -but no longer 5-6 nights a week. This was because the music business had already changed to fewer bands playing nightly, but I also decided that I needed to be home during the evenings for my sons. In addition to teaching full-time at Berklee, I also was asked to teach some students at my home. I loved teaching -but I also took extra students to help my finances, as the East coast was more expensive than the Midwest. When my sons went to sleep at night, I often listened to music -jazz and blues. I became enthralled with a vocal girl group of sisters, the Boswell Sisters, who recorded from 1931-36. I became interested in jazz history and spent more time practicing my piano. I started learning more jazz. During my early days at Berklee, I was fortunate to work and play music with Berklee’s very talented faculty. During that time, I also recorded several ‘demos’ with talented faculty and ventured out of my comfort zone to sing a new jazz repertoire.

I applied for a National Endowment for the Arts Grant, Special Jazz Projects, which was very competitive. To my surprise, I received a National Endowment Grant in 1989, which allowed me to drive and fly to interview various notable early jazz musicians and early jazz vocalists. When I received the National Endowment, I was surprised to receive a congratulatory letter from Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. I just realized that I was one of three recipients of the National Endowment of the Arts grant!

In 1987, I was asked to sing in the prestigious Boston Globe Jazz Festival, and again in 1990. I continued to work on learning more about jazz repertoire. I wrote articles for the Jazz Educators journal and continued researching early jazz vocalists and instrumentalists. I decided to continue my education by completing my graduate degree. I applied first at the prestigious New England Conservatory. I had hoped for a scholarship there. Although I received a letter of acceptance and praise for my accomplishments as an educator, researcher, and vocalist, I was not offered any scholarship money. I decided to attend the New England Conservatory, but graduate courses were expensive, so I took only one course per semester. The first course I took was “Writing and Research.”

As difficult as it was to teach full-time, do occasional gigs, and parent my two sons, I worked on this class. I was the only student who chose to write about jazz. During my lunch hour at Berklee, I would go to the Berklee library. The librarian there, Jon Voight, was a wealth of information, and his direction into how and where to research was invaluable. My final class project was “The original urtext of Round Midnight.” I was the only student in the class that wrote about jazz. This paper was published in the National Association of Jazz Educators and started me on the course of research and writing. At that time, most men wrote about jazz -including jazz vocals -even when the writers were not vocalists themselves!

In summary, I knew I always wanted to sing. It’s remarkable that even though I was not a “star,” I managed to make a career path in music. https://www.janshapiro.com

Published Articles, Papers, and Books:

• “So You Want to Sing Jazz” by Jan Shapiro, Rowman, and Littlefield 2016
• Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia “Helen Forrest” 1998 Carlson Publishing, Inc., Brooklyn, New York.
• American National Biography. “Mildred Bailey,” “Sippie Wallace” 1997 Oxford University Press, Cary, No. Carolina
• Dictionary of American Biography. “Connee Boswell,” “Maria Callas,” “Ruth Etting,” 1995 “Jane Froman,” “Lily Pons “ Charles Scribner Sons, New York
• Berklee Today. “Improvisation and The Vocalist” 1991
• Jazz Educators’ Journal. “Connee Boswell and The Boswell Sisters: 1990 Pioneers in Vocal Jazz”
• International Association of Jazz Educators 1990 “Filling in The Gaps In The History of Vocal Jazz: Connee Boswell and The Boswell Sisters. “ (Research papers presented at the 1990 International Jazz Educators Conference, New Orleans, LA)
• International Association of Jazz Educators 1989 “The Inventive Vocal Style of Connee Boswell and The Boswell Sisters: “Is There More Than What Has Been Released On Records?” (Research Papers presented at 1989 Jazz Educators Conference, San Diego, CA)
• International Association of Jazz Educators 1988 “In Search of the Original ‘Round Midnight: A Study of Published Manuscripts, Transcriptions, and Recordings of Thelonious Monk’s Composition” (Research Papers Presented at 1988 Jazz Educators Conference, Atlanta)
• Jazz Educators Journal 1987 “I Want To Sing Like Madonna How Come I Have To Sing Vaccai?”
• Jazz Educators Journal 1986 “Vocal Jazz Realities”
• Honors and Merits Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who Who 2021
• Duke Ellington Performance Grant 1996 Berklee College Medallion Award

Experience:

• Lindenwood University, St. Charles MO., Adjunct Voice Instructor Jan.-May 2020
• Professor, Voice Department, Berklee College of Music 1985-May 20,2017
• Voice Department Chair, Berklee College of Music Voice Department 1997-May 2010
  Principle designer – Curriculum Development and course concepts, Faculty hiring and supervision; Department Growth from 300 students and 13 faculty, 1000 voice students and 41 faculty, course offerings in voice from 8 courses to 26 voice-specific courses
• Director Berklee in LA ‘Vocal Tracks’ 1999-2002
• Director/Developer, summer program ‘Vocal Summit‘ 2008-2010
  Professor, Berklee College of Music Voice Department 2010 – May 2017
• Acting Chair, Berklee College of Music Voice Department May-December 1996
• Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music Voice Department 1985-1996
  Principle designer of new departmental Final Exam guidelines and requirements; this resulted in a major curriculum change within the department.
• Berklee College Committee member, Performance Division Educational Committee
  This committee was instrumental in establishing and developing college-wide policies
• Berklee College Committee member” Special Committee on Ethics
  Committee member, Women’s Caucus, International Assoc. of Jazz Educators 1990

Instructor:

• Southern Illinois University, Jazz Studies, Edwardsville, Ill., 1983-1985
  Fontbonne College, St. Louis MO. 1981-1985
• Private Voice Teacher 1978- present
• Educational Consultant 2005- 2008
  Harris Stowe University St. Louis MO.
  Jazz Education Consultant

Online Course Developer, Instructor, Berkleemusic.com, “Jazz Voice,” Berklee online: https://welcome.online.berklee.edu/general-download-berklee-online.html?pid=4897&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bol-gen-google-adwords-bol-brand&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjc2QBhDgARIsAMc3SqTwdWLRmCO9gZNw_iQsMlcx076pxhSSEGosjMRMWKbMgv-nv9HELkoaAoQ2EALw_wcB

2010 – present
Performance Experience:

• Active performing vocalist, touring major cities 1971-present
  (Washington DC. Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, NYC)
• Guest appearances and workshops 2005-present
• Holmes jazz series, guest artist, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. 2006, 2007, 2008-2009, 2010-2016, 2017
• Featured Guest Artist, Boston Globe Jazz Festival 1987, 1990
• Featured vocalist, Jazz Concert Series, Martha’s Vineyard 1994
• Studio vocalists, local radio, television spots, and recording projects 1979-present
• Opening act as a featured vocalist for comedians ‘Jackie Gayle, ‘And Myron Cohen, 1979
• Guest recording artist, ‘Airmen of Note’-official Jazz Ensemble, US Air force (Derived from Glen Miller Orchestra), ‘Serenade in Blue’ album 1976
• Soloist, Howard University, ‘Women’s Ensemble,’ concerts, recordings 1976-78
• Semi-Finalist, Broadway production, “Dr. Jazz,” NY, NY. 1975
• Finalist, St. Louis Muny Opera/Musical Comedy, St. Louis MO. 1970-1974

Other: Composer/Lyricist for touring puppet show production, “Babes In Toyland,” Bob Kramer’s Marionettes, St. Louis, MO. 1979

Professional Recordings:

• “ Piano Bar After Hours,” Singing Empress 2012-13
• “Back to Basics” CD, Singing Empress, 2006
• “Not Commercial” CD, Singing Empress 1997
• “Read Between the Lines,” Singing Empress, Arranged by Grammy Winner Richard Evans 1996 (for sound bytes, go to www.janshapiro.com)
• “Serenade in Blue” Album, guest vocalist, Airmen of Note, U.S Air Force Jazz Band 1976

Clinician/Teacher 1978-present:

• Teacher, Vocal Jazz, Sedajazz Festival, Valencia, Spain, summer March 2010
• Geneva, Switzerland, 2010
• Berklee on the Road- Heek Germany, Perugia Italy July 1988
• Berklee Audition Team, 1990-2006
• Clinician, Guest Ensemble Teacher, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. 2005
• Clinician, International Assoc. of Jazz Educators Conference (IAJE), New Orleans, “The Boswell Sisters: Pioneers in Vocal Jazz,” 2000
• Clinician, International Assoc. of Jazz Educators Conference, New York, NY “Microphones and the Singer,” 1998
• Clinician, Music Library Assoc. (MLA) National Conference, Boston, MA, 1997
• “The Boswell Sisters,” 1996
• New England Music Library Assoc. (NEMLA), Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA.
• Women in Music Panel – presentation on ‘The Boswell Sisters.’
• Clinician, IAJE Conference, Anaheim, CA. Research Paper Sessions 1995
• National Assoc. of Teachers of Singing (NATS), New England Regional Conference, Recitalist/Performer 1994
• Music Educators Conference, Ma. Chapter, Clinician-‘The Young Jazz Soloist,” 1992
• Clinician, IAJE Conference, Boston MA. 1994
• Adjudicator, Ma. Chapter, IAJE, Jazz Choir Competition, 1986-2009
• Adjudicator, Berklee High School Jazz Festival, 1990-2004-2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 12, 13, 14-16
• Adjudicator, Univ. of New Hampshire, Jazz Choir Competition, 1990-2003, 2006
• Clinician Berklee College, with pianist Roger Kelloway and bassist Jay Leonhart, 1989
• Clinician, Howard University, Washington D.C. 1981, 1985
• Clinician, Music Therapy Very Special Arts Festival, Washington, D.C. 1978

Education:

• Boston University, Boston, MA., Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, 1992-93
• Post Graduate Study Cambridge College, Cambridge Ma. Masters in Education, 1988
• New England Conservatory, Boston, MA. 1986-87
  Graduate Study
• Southern Illinois University, Jazz Studies 1983
  Graduate Study
• Howard University, Bachelor of Music Education 1978
• St. Louis Institute of Music, St. Louis Mo. 1971-72
  Undergraduate study
• Maryville Junior College, St. Louis, MO. 1969
  Associate Degree in Nursing Arts (R.N. Registered Nurse)
• Private Vocal Study 1965-1978
• Lucille Edmonds, Vocal Technique
  Gay Arnoldi, Vocal Technique, St. Louis Institute of Music
• Artist Teacher, Maria Stephanaides, St. Louis Institute of Music
  Dr. Relford Patterson, Howard University
• Jeannie Lovetri, NYC 2009-present

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not a smooth road but worth it. I worked a lot in the field I loved. I grew and developed and then became more involved in teaching. I went to school during the day while working at night and during the day. The struggles were juggling my personal life with my professional. In academia, the struggle was also dealing with sexism. In 1997 I became the Acting Voice Dept. Chair at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I was at that time the only woman chair, and it was not easy.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a professional vocalist and a voice teacher. I retired from Berklee College Music at the end of the spring semester of 2017. I was there for 31 years! I began teaching full-time at Berklee College in Boston in, Fall of 1985. I am proud to have held a full-time position as a voice teacher, obtaining a Masters’s degree in Education and post-graduate work at Boston University in speech-language. I became the official Chair of the Voice Department in the Fall of 1996. I also continued singing, recording 4 CDs while at Berklee College. What sets me apart is that I made a living in nightly music performances for about 15 years -7 nights a week, here in St. Louis and traveling to many cities for months at a time. I essentially was able to tell students that “I practiced what I preached” -because I had the experience of performing nightly. I had articles published, research papers published, and presented clinics for the National Association of Jazz Educators, etc. As Chair, I worked hard to find the most talented teachers to come to Berklee, and I did that! I also helped to develop most of the curriculum for the department! The voice department at Berklee was considered a ‘fly on the wall’ with little acclaim when I first came to teach there. When I retired, it had become one of the country’s best and most notable voice departments.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I have always been determined person and persistent. I learned not to give up even when others did not believe in my capabilities. I learned to be steady and persistent even when others did not believe in my endeavors or specific goals. I was never afraid to take chances. It’s amazing that I made a good living as a vocalist and became part of the faculty of one of the most esteemed music colleges in the world. Now that I am retired and moved back to St. Louis, I continue to teach. I volunteer specifically to help St. Louis city talent and local musicians/ singers who wish to learn more about their capabilities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.janshapiro.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jan.shapiro.56/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-shapiro-94554811/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClXDjSqOxmpfbn3jy81_Thw

Image Credits
Head shot with white jacket taken by St. Louis’s own Suzy Gorman.