Branden Lancaster Williams, Voice & Songbirds Voice Class

Branden Lancaster-Williams graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music with an emphasis in Choral Music Education.  Branden received the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Scholarship and participated in the training program during his undergraduate tenure.  He received the Archbishop James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award in 2014.  Later that year, he received a Master of Arts in School Leadership from Concordia University, Chicago.  Branden has taught in Chicago Public Schools and the greater Chicagoland area.  He teaches general music, beginning band and choir for Bureau Valley.  In his free time he enjoys community theater, hiking and gardening.  "I want my students to associate music with all aspects of their lives because the innate purpose of music is to express and elicit emotion.  One of my main goals is to show my students what music can do and how to express themselves through it.  Through our interactions, they will have a greater respect for music and how it fits into our culture."