Carmen Velma Shepperd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carmen Velma Shepperd
Carmen Velma Shepperd as a teenager, from a 1925 newspaper
Born	October 30, 1910 Kingston, Jamaica
Died	December 6, 1997 (aged 87)
Occupation	Singer, educator

Carmen Velma Shepperd (born October 30, 1910 – died December 6, 1997) was a talented American singer, pianist, and teacher. She was born in Jamaica and later moved to the United States. Carmen Shepperd dedicated her life to music and education, inspiring many young people.

Discovering Carmen Shepperd's Early Life

Carmen Velma Shepperd was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Her parents were David N. Shepperd and Theresa Ann Rodriquez Shepperd. When she was young, her family moved to the United States. She grew up in New York City, where her mother worked as a dressmaker.

Carmen's Musical Beginnings and Education

Even as a young singer, Carmen showed great promise. She won several medals from the New York Music Education League. She attended Wadleigh High School. Later, she earned two special diplomas from the famous Juilliard School in 1934. At Juilliard, she studied singing with a well-known teacher named Lucia Dunham.

Carmen continued her studies, earning both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Columbia University. She even traveled to France to study music further. In 1947, she attended the Fontainebleau School of Music.

Exploring Carmen Shepperd's Career

Carmen Shepperd was a gifted pianist and a mezzo-soprano singer. This means she had a beautiful singing voice that was lower than a soprano but higher than an alto. She performed many concerts, called recitals, in famous places in New York. These included Town Hall and Carnegie Hall.

Singing and Performing

Carmen often sang songs by Harry Burleigh, a notable Black composer. She was part of a group called "The Three Nightingales." Her singing partners were her classmates from Juilliard, Ruby Elzy and Anne Brown. Carmen also sang on the radio when she was a young woman.

Founding a Music School

In 1930, Carmen Shepperd started her own school, the Carmen Shepperd School of Music. Her students would perform annual concerts at places like Town Hall and Aeolian Hall. In 1931, her school received a special service medal from the New York Music Week Association. This award was given at a big event at Carnegie Hall. Her school continued to teach music for many years, even into the 1950s and 1960s. One of her famous students was the bassist Lucille Dixon Robertson.

Community Involvement

Carmen Shepperd was very active in her community. She was a member of many important organizations in New York. These included the National Council of Negro Women, Delta Sigma Theta, and the American Association of University Women. She also belonged to the National Association of Negro Musicians and the American Caribbean Scholarship Fund. In 1980, she played the piano for actress Butterfly McQueen during a performance in Brooklyn.