Today we’d like to introduce you to John-Michael d’Haviland.
John-Michael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Philadelphia, PA, where music, and the love of it, was ignited. (I was always drawn to the piano from a very young age.) Shortly after middle school, my family relocated to Northern Virginia, where I graduated high school two years early and went off to college to study science, which was supposed to be the springboard into medical school and eventually into a career as a pediatrician. However, after taking course electives in Music Appreciation, Music Theory and singing in one of the University Choirs during my undergraduate career at George Mason University, I was constantly energized and ’super-charged’. That clear “sign” helped align a career path where music would be the primary focus and foundation. The need to be a musical artist easily eclipsed the ‘allure’ of being a doctor. I received both a Bachelors and Masters degree from George Mason University. My education and training would take me along a path where, for many years, I would serve as Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Georgetown Day High School, as well as be a performer and music director in theatre around the Washington, DC area.
In the summer of 2014, we relocated to Atlanta to be closer to my sister and family. As it turned out, I was hired as full-time, a few weeks later, as a collaborative pianist and musical theatre specialist on the vocal faculty at the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA) at Pebblebrook High School.
Has it been a smooth road?
No. My need to have ‘everything figured out’ was frequently in conflict with my ‘need to go with the flow’. As a result, I took many detours (some good, some bad) along the way. But, those detours taught the courage to embrace the truths of who I really am. It also started to teach me how to release the ‘need to have everything figured out’ and embrace the tremendous peace and freedom which accompanies that.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a collaborative pianist and musical theatre specialist on the vocal faculty in CCCEPA at Pebblebrook. Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School seeks to develop and nurture talented, accomplished and intellectually engaged young artists for successful careers or avocations in the performing arts through an accelerated curriculum in dance, drama, vocal music and technical theatre while maintaining high academic achievement.
The Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA) is a coeducational public magnet school housed on the campus of Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Georgia, just west of Atlanta. CCCEPA offers unparalleled training in Dance, Vocal Music, Drama, and Technical Theatre, complemented by a robust and innovative academic curriculum.
65 Broadway shows have featured CCCEPA alumni.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely. Atlanta, and its surrounding areas, is a thriving environment. For students, there are many wonderful opportunities to train and study. For artists, Atlanta is robust.
Contact Info:
- Address: Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts
991 Old Alabama Road, SW
Mableton, GA 30126 - Website: www.cccepa.com
- Phone: 770-819-2521
- Email: frank.timmerman@cobbk12.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cccepa
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cccepa
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/cccepa
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