About the Director

Mrs. Lauren Allen is a vibrant, playful, and enthusiastic choir director and accomplished vocalist with over 6 years of experience in music education. Mrs. Allen was born and raised in Ennis, Texas. She is a graduate of Ennis High School and was very active in the choir program during her time there; she was the Choir President and a member of three different ensembles her Senior year. She continued her education and learned her strong vocal technique by being a student of the incredible tenor, Bruce Fowler. Mrs. Allen received her Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Oklahoma. During her time at OU she was an alto in The University Chorale under the direction of Dr. Richard Zielinski. She traveled to Eisenstadt, Austria to perform "Die Jahreszeiten" by Joseph Haydn with the Chorale in the Haydn Festival (photo to the left). During her time at OU she met and had a private voice lesson with the famous mezzo-soprano, Marilyn Horne. After graduation, in the summer of 2015, she was a young artist at the Prague Summer Night's program in Prague, Czech Republic. It was here that she performed the role of Zelatrice in Puccini's opera, Suor Angelica, and worked with the famous American baritone, Sherrill Milnes.

While the life of an opera singer seemed thrilling, Mrs. Allen quickly realized that teaching students how to sing was her passion and calling! She received her Alternative Teaching Certification and has been teaching choir at Ennis High School and Ennis Junior High in 2015. She remained in that position for three years and then transferred to Miller Intermediate (Ennis ISD) where she taught 4th-6th grade music for a year. Her time in elementary music truly inspired her lessons and teaching philosophy. She is still known to read children's books to her junior high students today.

In 2019 Mrs. Allen received a phone call from a dear friend who asked her to come and interview for the choir position at Howard Junior High School. As fate would have it, she got the job! Mrs. Allen taught at Howard during the 2019-2020 school year and then took the following year off from teaching for personal reasons. She was overjoyed to hear that Howard was hiring again in 2021 and returned to Howard where she has been ever since. Along with teaching, Mrs. Allen has worked with the Ennis Public Theatre on several shows (Alice in Wonderland, Little Shop of Horrors, Walking Across Egypt) as the musical director. Mrs. Allen co-directs the Howard Musical Theatre class with the wonderful Ms. Courtney Crow and has directed Annie Jr., Aladdin Jr. during her time at Howard.

Mrs. Allen and her husband, Sean, became parents in 2022 when they adopted their 5 year old son, Peyton. The Allens reside in Ennis with their two dogs, Tucker & Trudy.

Private Voice Lesson Teacher

Mrs. Adams is an innovative, attentive, and dedicated music educator with an overwhelming desire to make a difference in the lives of her students. She has twelve years of experience teaching choir, piano, and music history in the Texas public school system, as well as over thirty years of experience as a piano and vocal instructor and thirty-five years of experience as a piano accompanist.

Music became a passion for Mrs. Adams at an early age. She began taking private piano lessons and composed her first song at the age of two. In 7th grade, she began accompanying her school choirs, was a member of the Westchester County Region Choir, and was accepted into the prestigious Westchester Conservatory of Music. She continued to accompany her school choirs and was chosen for various other auditioned choirs in New York and Arizona over the next few years. In 11th grade, she moved to Florida and was selected for the Florida All-State Choir. In 12th grade, she was one of only 25 sopranos selected for the elite Florida All-State Sight-Reading Choir.

Mrs. Adams went on to receive an Associates of Arts from Palm Beach Community College and a Bachelors and Masters in Music Education from the University of North Texas, where she was a member of several choirs and vocal ensembles, including UNT's Jazz Singers under the direction of Paris Rutherford. While attending UNT, Mrs. Adams established a choir and piano ensemble at The Selwyn School in Denton; taught a continuing education Adult Piano Class for The University of North Texas; directed a satellite group for The Texas Boys' Choir in McKinney; and tutored students in math, language arts, and study skills at Sylvan Learning Center.

Mrs. Adams began her teaching career in the Texas public school system in Royce City, where she was asked to start a choral program for both their Middle School and High School. This was only a half-time position, and the following year, she accepted a full-time position teaching choir at Ennis Junior High and High School, where she was honored to be included in "Who's Who Among American Teachers." She remained there for three years until her husband was offered the opportunity to help in the creation of a multi-million dollar marketplace in Boca Raton, Florida, where Mrs. Adams would later be offered the position of Catering Director.

Their residence in Florida was cut short the following year when the couple returned to their home in Ennis, TX to prepare for the birth of their first child. Mrs. Adams accepted a position teaching choir for Dallas ISD at H. Grady Spruce High School, where she was also asked to write the Level I and II Choral Curriculum for DISD, served as accompanist for numerous district and regional concerts and vocal camps, became the logistical coordinator for several district-wide choral events, established a piano ensemble class, and temporarily held the position of Interim Band Director.

Mrs. Adams continued to teach at Spruce High School for eight years, at which time she took a step back to focus on her health and her family. Over the past two years, she has begun making her way back into the classroom by teaching master classes, accompanying choirs and soloists, and working with individual students as a private vocal instructor for a couple of schools in the Fort Worth area. This school year, she will be spending more time close to her home in Ennis and is excited to begin working with several choral students at Howard Junior High.

Mrs. Adams currently resides with her husband, Zac, and their two teenagers, Nicholas (15) and Alexandria (14), who are both students at Ennis High School this year. Nicholas is a serious gamer while Alexandria is following in her mother's footsteps. She loves being a choir student and has been a member of the Texas Middle School/Junior High All-State Choir. Mrs. Adams and her family also enjoy both freshwater and saltwater fishing and especially love snorkeling in Florida and Mexico.