Olivia Brownlee has been in the fields of performance and education since her teen years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre (Eastern Washington University) in 2004, and a Master of Arts in Theatre Education (Emerson College) in 2010. A professional musician, songwriter, and actress, her background is steeped in the performing arts, and the throughlines in all her interests and practices have always been community, communication, and expression.

 

Olivia says of herself: “After I got my master’s degree I was planning to teach ESL overseas, but when that fell through I became a semi-pro musician, and when that started boring me to death I said, ‘I bet I could do both…’ And that has been the best culmination of all my loves so far.”

The idea for non-verbal music education began in 2009 in a Drama as Education class, but didn't start developing until summer of 2013 when she began traveling to non-English-speaking countries.