Donna McGinnis, a music educator, has taught choral and vocal music in both Texas and Virginia. She obtained her Bachelor of Music Education with dual emphasis in vocal performance and choral music from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where she studied applied voice under Agnes Fuller and choral conducting under Dr. Nancy Klein. One of her greatest honors as a young choral director was to participate in a professional choral conducting internship with Robert Shaw in 1993.
Mrs. McGinnis has spent 16 years successfully directing choirs of all ages. Currently she is the director of the Briarhill Middle School Choral Department. Previously she has held positions as Choral Director of the Lewisville ISD 5th Grade Honor Choir, Artistic Director/Conductor of the Lewisville Civic Chorale, Choir Director at McKamy Middle School and Deep Creek High School (VA). In addition to directing choirs, she is an active choral clinician, adjudicator and vocal coach throughout the state of Texas.
In addition to her teaching duties, Mrs. McGinnis has presented numerous workshops and lectures for graduate and under-graduate students at the University Of North Texas College Of Music covering the topics of The Middle School Choral Experience, The Boy’s Changing Voice and Reference Materials for the Beginning Choral Director.
Mrs. McGinnis holds professional memberships in Texas Choral Directors Association, American Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Music Educators Association and National Association of Teachers of Singing. She resides in Highland Village with her husband, Rod, and their 2 wonderful children, Blythe & Matthew.
Voice Teachers
Jessica Espiritu
Jessica Espiritu was born and raised in Mesquite, Texas. She has been singing for as long as she can remember. Jessica received a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Southern Methodist University in 2008. While studying at SMU, she performed with the Meadows Opera Theatre, including the role of Betty in Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera and was a member of the chorus for Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. She also performed with The Living Opera as a member of the choruses of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. In 2008, she performed as Princess Margaret in Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince with Metroplex Opera. That summer, she was selected take part in the Franco-American Vocal Academy in Excideuil, France. While there, she performed the role of Berginella in Jacques Offenbach’s La Perichole in several towns throughout the region of Perigueux. She also performed in several recitals and masterclasses while in France, and worked with distinguished singers Francois Loup and Teresa Zylis-Gara.
In May 2010, Jessica received her master’s degree in Music from Texas State University, under the tutelage of the renowned soprano, Cheryl Parrish. While there, Jessica performed the role of First Knitter in A Game of Chance. She also took part in Texas State Opera’s Guerilla Opera, where she performed outdoors in the downtown square of San Marcos. Jessica now lives in Dallas with her husband, Emmanuel, and their two cats. She currently sings with the professional chorus, Resounding Harmony, a non-profit group that specializes in raising money for note-worthy causes.
Lainey Bernstein
Lainey Bernstein is a singer-songwriter who is known not only for her wide vocal range, but also for her wide range of singing styles. Her training and experience includes a degree in Vocal Performance from Texas Woman’s University, many years of voice lessons, as well as her own regular performances as a solo artist. She is the Music Director at the Center for SpiritualLiving in Dallas, Texas where she leads and writes congregational music. Ms. Bernstein’s teaching experiences extend to private voice lessons, acting and musical theatre classes, as well as preschool music. This will be her sixth year on the Private Voice Faculty at Briarhill Middle School. In 2008, Ms. Bernstein released a debut, inspirational CD. She is currently performing at various venues around the Metroplex, as well as in other cities. Ms. Bernstein is a member of Texas Music Educators Association.
Briarhill Middle School Choir
2100 Briarhill Blvd.
Highland Village, TX 75077
Phone: 469-713-5975
