MI SUCCESS STORY: MICHELLE SORIA

Michelle was always passionate about music, playing the saxophone as a child and joining the choir in high school. After doing some community college theater, she knew she wanted to study contemporary music, saying,

“At MI I could study a ton of genres. I took jazz, blues, extreme vocals, and rap classes! Not to mention all the LPWs in modern rock, country, etc. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone as well as gave me a new perspective and appreciation for other styles of music.”

Michelle has acted as Music Coordinator at a non-profit organization (Unidos Por La Música, ’16-‘17) and has also taught privately at multiple locations for voice and beginning piano since 2015. Michelle teaches students ages five and above, focusing on music theory, and singing in contemporary styles such as R&B, pop, rock, and blues. She is also passionate about artist development – helping students find their creative voice, getting past insecurities on stage, and writing effective songs in their genre of choice.

She has enjoyed playing, singing, training vocalists, and arranging music for Calvary Chapel of Upland’s worship team since 2011.Her love for performance shows while she sings and plays keys for the Skinny Ties, an 80s cover band based in the Inland Empire.

Michelle credits MI in helping her overcome her stage fright and truly becoming the singer she is today. She says,

“I rarely sang by myself prior to MI, despite it being the only thing I wanted to do…Without the constant demand to be performing everyday, along with the unbelievable encouragement and support I received from classmates and faculty, I don’t know how I would have been able to push through the fear to continue in the music field today.”