Influential Woman · Youth Arts Nonprofit

Laura Lazarevich

Artistic Director, South Loudoun Youth Chorale, Inc

Aldie, Va, VA

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's degree in Music Education from James Madison University Degree Harrisonburg Degree Virginia Degree Master's degree in Choral Music Education from Florida State University

Her Story

About Laura

I grew up in a musical family where both of my parents are musicians. During my teenage years, I tried to fight against the family business, but when I was in college, it became clear that my strengths lied in music and in connecting with others. I eventually realized how passionate I am about mentoring youth and helping them to grow and gain confidence through music. I attended James Madison University as undeclared but auditioned into the School of Music during my freshman year and majored in music education. While there, I performed in two choirs, the James Madison Chorale and the university singers, conducted the unauditioned university chorus, and served as music director of an a cappella group, the JMU Overtones. After graduating, I taught high school choir for 14 years at three different schools: Woodson High School in Fairfax, Patriot High School in Prince William County where I opened a brand new school, and Freedom High School in Loudoun County for 8 years. During that time, I earned my master's in choral music education from Florida State University through a 3-summer program. Post-COVID, I saw that choir programs were struggling because we weren't able to build community the way we were in the past, so I co-founded the South Loudoun Youth Chorale with my close friend and colleague Eric Jacobs about 3 years ago. We started with 6th through 12th grade singers and have expanded to offer programs from first grade through 12th grade beginning this summer. Our core values are our acronym to serve: serve, lead, spread joy, and care. We teach older students to be leaders and care for others, getting them actively involved as junior counselors at our summer camp. One of the reasons for founding this organization is that I have my own kids who are in elementary school, and now they get to be a part of the program, which has been really special.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Laura

01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is to start first, refine later. Take the first step, even if it isn't perfect. If you follow your gut, follow your guiding light, and just get there, and don't worry about it being perfect. This advice has helped me move forward without getting stuck trying to make everything perfect from the beginning.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

My advice in life is to find your people, to find the people that lift you up and support you. As Mr. Rogers says, find the helpers. Nobody can do it alone. So just really work to build that community, which is kind of the foundation of a choir program, in my opinion, whether it be at the school level or the community level. It's just about intentionally creating a community to support each other and lift each other up.

03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I'm living in a very fast-growing area, Loudoun County, Virginia, an hour west of DC. It's like the fastest-growing suburb, and there is just a lot of opportunity and interest in extracurricular music-making opportunities. We are the first community youth choir in the county, which is hard to believe, but it's really provided a lot of opportunity for us to find the students who are passionate about singing and music making and getting them involved. In terms of challenges, coming from a public school setting, marketing and development were not areas that I ever had to really think about, because I just got the students who came to my program from the middle school. Marketing is kind of a different challenge. And as a nonprofit, we are constantly having to find ways to support our programs through grants and sponsorships and individual donors, and so that's been a big learning curve as well. Another challenge would be board development and figuring out what it means to have a board of directors and how to support them and empower them to do their side of the job in a nonprofit that I created.

04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Because I created the South Loudoun Youth Chorale and created the core values, they are very closely aligned with my own personal values: service, leadership, spreading joy, and caring for others. Additionally, for me, a big one is mentorship and helping students to discover their strengths and confidence so that they can go out into the world just with more skills and with a better idea of who they are and the gifts that they bring to the world. I do that through my high school choir ensembles, and right now I'm actually sponsoring a senior in high school who's doing her senior capstone project, which is a two-week internship. She's been working alongside me to learn more about the South Loudoun Youth Chorale and nonprofits, and I've tried to instill in her the value of face-to-face networking. Another important value is intentionally creating boundaries that allow me to give my kids the focus and time that they deserve. My physical health is also important to me for longevity for my family and for my mental health. If you're physically strong, you can stay mentally strong.

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