 Brenda
Freed graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in Music
Education and Music Therapy in 1980 (completing her Masters in 1992).
In 1980, she taught K-12 vocal music and general music classes in rural
Iowa. During this time, she revived a music program that
had been inactive by producing two grade-school musicals, spring and winter concerts
for choirs grades 1-12, and took the high school choir members to large
and small group contests where they did very well. In 1982,
she left public school teaching to start working as a music therapist
at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. In 1990, up to her ears in U of IA academia and music therapy, she left Iowa on a bicycle and pedaled 9,000 miles, touring Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada and the East Coast and Southern U.S. before coming to a halt in Luckenbach, Texas in 1991. She decided to stay in Texas one year to work, save money, write songs and pursue performing in Austin all while finishing her thesis for her MA in Music Education/Music Therapy, and then continue on the bike trip at the end of that year. She did everything she planned EXCEPT save money and pedal out of Texas. It was the end of the bicycle trip and the start of Brenda's career as a singer/songwriter. Since that time, while pursuing her music career, Brenda has been teaching guitar, piano and voice privately from her Creative Endeavors studio in the Texas Hill Country. She is a musician who wears many hats reflecting her many interests. Her hats include performance, teaching, music therapy, songwriting, publishing, recording and philanthropy. Brenda has performed in concert halls, small auditoriums, festivals, house concerts, churches, bookstores, retirement homes, pubs and bars, indoors, outdoors, and under any kind of conditions from freezing and raining to humid and muggy to the beautiful breezy open air festivals of England. Her vocal versatility and her eclectic taste in music have made Brenda's music difficult to categorize because she also writes music in a variety of styles. However, the common thread throughout her music is her strong voice that has an incredible range and is clear as a bell, no matter the style of the song. Brenda is married and is a pet lover, including Jumper and Sammy kitties and T-Birdy dog. www.brendafreed.com bfreed1@earthlink.net |
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