COACHING PROGRAM
If you are new to music, haven't joined a choir or orchestra in the past, or are feeling a bit rusty from years of inactivity, our coaches can help you get on track. We offer 1-1 coaching to help individuals develop their technique, sight-reading, rhythmic skills, repertoire, and performance preparedness. Sessions can be tailored for each individual to fit your exact needs and pace. You can save by taking advantage of our ensemble and coaching package or you can register for 1-1 coaching on it’s own without ensemble participation.
We have coaching available for voice, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion/drums, bass guitar, trumpet, trombone, F horn, flute, bassoon.
YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Jodine Morehouse (Vocals)
Jodine came to VPops with an extensive music background in classical and musical theatre vocal performance. She also played tuba for 8 years, into musical school at Memorial University in St. John’s, NL. Her goal as choir director is to help members grow their skills individually, then come together to make beautiful choral music. Her main passion is helping people grow confidence in themselves and have that reflect in their performance on and off the stage. Jodine will always push you out of your comfort zone, but you’ll be thankful for it in the end.
Lucy Kijung Kim (Cello, Piano)
Lucy Kijung Kim began studying piano at the age of 5 and cello at the age of 8. She received her Bachelor of Music, with a major in Cello, from Kyunghee University in Seoul, Korea. In September 2012, Lucy relocated to Vancouver, Canada, received her Early Childhood Education Certificate, and has since been working as a Cello/Piano teacher at Ava Music & Art Centre in North Vancouver and at the Vancouver Pops. She is distinguished by her patient and kind manner with children, while maintaining attention to detail in her method of instruction. Lucy has been teaching cello since 2004 and has played in a variety of chamber ensembles as well as currently being the principal cellist of the Vancouver Pops Orchestra.
Tom Kuo (Violin, Viola, Choral Singing, Music Theory)
Tom Kuo is a Vancouver-raised violinist, instructor, and conductor. Originally from Taiwan, he is the founder of the Vancouver Pops and the current director of the VPOPS Orchestra and Choir. Having commenced his musical education at age six with piano and violin, his mentors included violinists Tang Lei, Andrew Dawes, and conductors John van Deursen, Jesse Read, and Tom Koven. Tom completed his Royal Conservatory of Music Diploma Certification and received his Bachelor of Music from the UBC School of Music in 2008, after which he went on to become a full time instructor of musical theory, violin, and viola. He presently spends his time instilling the love of music to musicians through the classroom, group ensembles, and live performances.
Kat O’Carroll (Drums, Percussion, Mallets)
Kat began her private music education at age 6 when her family decided to buy a home organ, and her love for music-making, especially fun tunes in the pops genre, has never quit! Already an RCM-trained multi-instrumentalist by the time she began exploring drums/percussion, she decided to pursue a career in music, graduating with a B.A. Music honours degree in jazz (education stream) from St. Francis Xavier University. Touring B.C. as an orchestral percussionist with Grammy winning parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic on his “Strings Attached” tour in 2019 prompted her to seek out a full-time orchestra to join… and VPOPS was the answer! Other professional highlights include playing drums, keyboards and singing (and even playing ukulele on occasion) for different dinner theatre companies and bar bands across Nova Scotia and P.E.I., a stint with Holland America cruise line and a Musical Director gig at Grafton Street Dinner Theatre in Halifax. A passionate lifelong learner, Kat continues to sharpen and upgrade her percussion skills by taking private instruction from her mentor so she can keep sharing all the things she learns about the craft with her own students!
Christine Yang (Double Bass)
Whether it’s the elegance of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik or the provocative dissonance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, double bassist Christine Yang is thoroughly captivated by the role of notes at the low end of the spectrum in all genres of music. Christine has performed in various ensembles of different sizes and in diverse styles of music that include classical music, film music, contemporary music, and traditional Chinese music.
Thomas Beckman (Viola)
Thomas Beckman, composer and violist serves as creative director of production company Sons of Granville, and as in-house composer for the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, producing film scores for several award-winning productions including Phosphenes (‘Best Drama Short Film’ and winner of the ‘Golden Monarch’ prize in the FICMO Festival, Ottawa) and Colours of Edziza (finalist in the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival), and various other documentaries (CAAN’s Promising Practices series) and independent feature films. Recently selected for both the Jean Coulthard VSO (2018) and Borealis String Quartet (2017) Readings, with two new compositions, Thomas is now embarking upon his fourth commissioned piece, this time for the Vancouver Youth Choir. With an MMus in viola performance from UBC, Thomas combines his classical roots with other contemporary idioms performing regularly for the Artists for Conservation Annual Festival and for YYoga’s annual International Yoga Day. Orchestrally, Thomas appears in numerous ensembles around the province, including as principal violist for the Postmodern Camerata, as sectional violist for both the New Westminster and Prince George Symphony orchestras, and of course as principal violist for the Vancouver Pops Orchestra.