SUZANNE BROOKS  

About WIJSF, INC.

Suzanne Brooks:
Musician, Mentor, Educator
and Encourager of Dreams

By Melanie Noel Light

‘Some lives are great but. . .none of us are perfect.
Yet in the time we have, we Experience the unforgettable.’

Originally from Philadelphia, PA., Suzanne Brooks was born on January 20, 1941. She is a musician, a teacher, a mentor and an educator. And she calls herself a “woman singer with a band” because she finds that singers in the music industry are often underrated as musicians, especially in jazz, when the numbers of singers is examined. Suzanne is working to end stereotypes in the world of music and is aiming to replace those stereotypes with respect for working musicians and equity for women performers.

“Show business is about the time and effort you put into it; there’s a huge business end to it. It’s not about glamour, drugs, sexuality, etc.” It’s about hard work by creative artists and smart business people.

Ms. Brooks has studied with several vocal coaches, including the well-known creator of Speech Level Singing, which includes learning to sing without fatigue and injury, using your speaking voice. Suzanne has her own coaching method, which is offered in a “Session for Singers” workshop twice monthly. Believing that each singer has to learn in his/her own way, she encourages individualism and teaches ethics and values. She teaches “how to be a professional,” which includes business strategies, and helps other “find their own sound and image.”

Suzanne attended an improvisation workshop with noted Bobby McFerrin (the first workshop, in fact, that he’d ever done) with other singers from around the world. She has extensive training, and yet believes that musicians don’t need a teacher’s guidance all the time; that they need to practice and develop on their own as well. And she’s got plenty more practical advice on things often overlooked…like looking out for oneself and one’s things; perhaps even traveling with a chaperone; making sure to get plenty of rest as “physical fatigue will affect your voice, even alcohol, diet, hydration, etc.”

Suzanne is a professional singer/musician and business owner with her own employees and her own band. She respects those she works with and is sure to always treat them like the exquisite people that they are. She’s also a strong teacher and mentor with a tremendous amount of wisdom, sensibility and consideration. And, for her students and clients, all at a very reasonable rate to boot.

“I don’t want to be battling people for money,” Suzanne admits. “While making money as a musician is important, it can’t be all about the money.” With a complete recording/production studio of her own, Suzanne says that a singer without a lot of resources can operate on a smaller budget through her. Each session with Suzanne is only $20, and there are no contracts to sign. She is grateful for opportunities to assist “low income people (especially youth) to have a chance.” It’s what she calls “social entrepreneurship.” “I like to feel like I’m contributing while making money.”

Suzanne also likes to spend her energies promoting things in the community that she feels don’t get the attention they need and deserve. She is so involved, in fact, that it’s hard to keep track of her efforts. Yet aside from having taught classes through the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission and having been part of the group which established the first Police Athletic League for Girls (PAL), Women of Color Day, for instance, is one of her claims to fame. Suzanne even contributes her own money to the event if a budget falls short.

But Women of Color Day is making a splash indeed. Now beginning its 21st year, it has been celebrated in 20 states and five other countries, and has honored almost 200 women in Sacramento alone, with hundreds more across the nation and world. Suzanne emphasizes that it’s “important to include other communities,” to embrace sisterhood and ‘community-hood’. Women of Color Day is for everyone, not just for women, not just for people of color. It adds a focus on minority/indigenous women during Women’s History Month.

Suzanne is a pioneer in not only the world of music, business and mentoring, but she is also an author, having published both poetry and short stories. She’s currently working on a new book about a contemporary theory of art. She says, “for art to be meaningful and valuable in our world today, it has to exemplify diversity and promote justice. Otherwise, it’s not doing its job.” And Suzanne recognizes that while there will likely be some controversy and discussion from this, she poignantly adds, “we might just need that in order to move ahead.”

Although quite connected to both our intimate community and the musician’s community at large, Suzanne always makes time for her music. She’s has several CD’s with cover tunes and an original single already out, but is currently working on some new music. Suddenly, she says “songs have been coming into my head at an incredible rate.” She just sent four songs in for copyright.

Dr. Love Radio, Netteradio and Smoothjazz (online) have been among those playing her music for some time now, and she’s still working on KSSJ. A Gospel singer as well, Suzanne makes plenty of appearances in person around town. “I sing at the drop of a hat. I’m very charitable but I have to pay the band, I have to pay the mortgage and I have to pay the staff.” Bridging this gap is just one of the things that keeps Suzanne and her career passionately thriving.

And Suzanne is appreciative; She feels “fortunate to still be singing,” considering she started at the bright and tender age of three. “No one ever sent me to vocal lessons or music school. “Back in the day,”… girls were expected to get married and not have careers.” But Suzanne now has degrees in both English and education, and has even reached the doctoral level.

“I think in life you have many challenges, and you have many choices.… Many times I have achieved what I was fighting for; sometimes, I have not. The only failures are when we give up or sell our integrity. You have to choose to be happy. No one ever knew I could write music, including me, I had melodies come into my mind, but didn’t write them down then. I do now. I cannot tell you the thrill of listening to something that was in your head…”

“And I’m singing better than I’ve ever sung. Audience response is so appreciative that sometimes it’s almost overwhelming. But it’s also fulfilling. It’s a happy state of mind. Artists of all kinds are vehicles, or passageways for things that are given to us and we are fortunate to have that experience… The experience of having these gifts flow through us is the most important thing. You need to be able to share it as well as enjoy the moment.”

Suzanne Brooks & The Jazz Generation
http://www.creativeconsys.com