Nancy Davis Booth - Assistant Professor

Although few vocal instructors hold a master's in child development, Nancy Davis Booth finds that her knowledge of the human mind goes a long way in developing the voice. "When you are teaching singing, it involves the body, mind and spirit together," she says. "The more you understand how we develop as people, the better you can teach singing."

With an undergraduate in music and an MFA in theatre, Booth became interested in child protective issues and pursued her master's in child development. She founded the Children's Advocacy Center in Tucson, Ariz., and ran a crisis center there for five years. "As musicians we usually don't go out of our area, but I was curious about the issue of child abuse and neglect," she says. Her curiosity provided her with an experience that she describes as "absolutely amazing.

Booth's performing career continued to grow and she joined the music faculty at Butler two years ago. At Butler, she has been instrumental in the development of the new Lyric Theatre program. The unique program combines opera training and musical theatre, a combination Booth constructed in her own education. "I studied music and theatre, but they were never integrated," she says. "I want to integrate them with the understanding that students can follow either classical or music theatre."

Booth still enjoys an active performance career, especially in the summers between academic years. She enjoys the cultural offerings of Indianapolis - they were part of the reason she chose Butler. "I was looking to teach at a small college in a large city," she says. "I like the small college atmosphere and the personalized teaching, but I wanted to be in a city that had lots of art going on and was very cultural."

Booth notes that along with the individual attention at Butler come high expectations. "It's hard work. A lot is expected of the students, but they get a lot back. The faculty love to teach - and it shows."

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