Roxanne is an artist/soprano/songwriter currently based in Richmond, Virginia. She earned her Bachelor of Music degrees in both Vocal Performance and Music Education from Longwood University in 2017. She has experience singing and performing many styles of music such as musical theatre, classical "opera", jazz, folk, rock, and pop. In addition, Roxanne plays guitar, piano, ukulele, and bass - she also dabbles in other art forms such as theatre, film acting, painting, graphic design, writing and dancing. Roxanne also has a passion for teaching and is certified to teach grades Pre-K-12 but is currently teaching music privately. My Youtube page has my music on it, which you can find at https://www.youtube.com/user/roxannecookie/
Music allows me to experience the entire spectrum of human emotion - it makes me feel as though every cell of my body is pulsing with emotion, or connection, love for the artist through our shared humanity.
I'd really like to make a living performing songs that I wrote. That's my dream.
This is impossible for me to answer.. I care about so many different issues very deeply so it's hard to pick just one. But an issue very close to my heart right now is mental illness prevention and ending the stigma surrounding it. Suicide is like the third leading cause of death in the United States, right after heart disease and car accidents. Depression is an epidemic in the United States - something needs to change.
I listened to a LOT of musical theatre growing up - I loved it so much! When I was a kid my favorite was 1776, a musical about American history where the founding fathers were singing and dancing and it was all just great fun. I fell in love with American history because of that show!
Eva Cassidy, Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse are huge influences for me. I love folk, jazz, and classic rock most of all!
Music inspires ME. I don't know of anything that moves me more. It's my entire life! The joy of living.
Healing, understanding, connection through shared humanity. Joy.
Excited, nervous, and usually I'm having a lot of fun!
I think today is the best time to get your music out there! There are so many ways to market yourself online now.
Seems like a great idea so far. Let's see how it goes, eh?
It's difficult for me to connect with other musicians and to really put myself out there.
I really should more, honestly.
Authenticity, but also drive. I'm realizing it's important to write a LOT, almost nonstop, and just having the stubbornness of putting yourself out there over and over again. You need to be thick skinned.
You've probably never heard of this Eva Cassidy from earlier - she was a singer-songwriter from Washington, D.C. who not only had an incredibly beautiful voice, she also was a great guitarist and arranger. I grew up in the D.C. area, so she's an local legend who I've always felt very connected to. Tragically, she died of cancer at only 32 years old - but her arrangements of classic folk and jazz tunes are gorgeous and have lived on. She's most famous for a her rendition of "Somewhere over the rainbow" which is absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend giving her a listen if you're not familiar with her!