Teacher Profile: Stefany Rodriguez
About Stefany Rodriguez
Stefany Rodriguez is a classically trained musician, who developed her love for the arts in her gorgeous island, Puerto Rico. She specializes in Voice and Violin, while also being a lover of the Theatre! On her days off, Stefany enjoys walking around Orlando’s beautiful parks with her dog, Jude. Then, when they get home, she sits with her guitar, Jude by her side, to write acoustic, coffee-shop type love songs. For her, Music is therapy, therefore including it into her daily life is not only crucial, but also comes naturally!
Stefany started her training at La Libre de Musica in Puerto Rico, where she learned theory, Violin and Voice. On the island, she performed in musicals such as Les Miserables, in various vocal ensembles, junior orchestra’s, et cetera. As an actress she performed in various plays, her favorite being Oedipus Rex, where she was the sole vocalist and violinist. From there, she moved to Orlando in 2014 to pursue a degree in Theatre from the University of Central Florida, which she obtained in 2018. She has been a vocalist in Jazz ensembles, and participated in many student-directed plays, one of which was a musical, performed at the Dr. Phillips Center (a dream for her!).
Throughout her life, Stefany taught her little brother all she knew about singing, encouraging him to always do his best, not only with his technique, but also with the emotion and love he puts into every song he performs. When he got into Berklee College of Music, Stefany realized she enjoyed teaching him how to be a complete artist, therefore sought out to help other aspiring musicians pursue their dreams successfully. From there, she started her teaching journey as a Traveling Teaching Artist with Central Florida Community for the Arts, where she still teaches groups of students Theory, Music Appreciation, Movement, as well as directs Vocal and Violin ensembles. Also, Stefany teaches Kindermusik classes, where she helps young children with their development using the power of Music and movement.
Stefany Rodriguez believes in training aspiring musicians to not only play what is written, but to truly take in and whole-heartedly feel what the piece is trying to teach them. This to her, means her student is a well-rounded artist. She always says the professors she had growing up not only trained her in theory and proper technique, but also shaped her view on the world and what role Music has in all our lives; therefore this is the type of educator she wants to be as well. When teaching, Stefany will go over Theory, Technique and teach them to perform confidently, all while instilling how important it is to fully immerse themselves emotionally into every song. Music should be fun, inspiring, healing, and overall, an enjoyable experience, which is why, in Stefany’s opinion, Music is 40% technique and 60% heart! She can’t wait to fall in love with Music alongside her students!