Mandy's Bio

Mandy Mikita Scott
Director of Choirs

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Mrs. Scott was born on an Air Force Base in Madrid, Spain, and traveled to many parts of the globe before settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  She began playing the piano at age four, and soon afterwards she was studying privately.  By the age of fifteen, Mandy was competing successfully in local concerto competitions, accompanying the Rockford High School Choirs, and had expanded her musical studies to include oboe, flute, and voice.  She continued to study throughout high school, including attending Interlochen All-State, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Seminar at Western Michigan University.

Barely out of high school, Mandy began an internship with the highly regarded Grand Rapids Symphony, where she worked in a series of positions including production assistant, guest artist liaison, and education assistant.  She followed her mentor to the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and worked as an assistant to the Executive Director during the year-long national conductor search for the orchestra.

During her time in Kalamazoo, Mrs. Scott taught for the prestigious Gilmore Keyboard Festival as a piano lab teacher at Northeastern Elementary School.  The program was funded by Education for the Arts, and was the first collaboration between these two organizations.

As a student, Mrs. Scott began her career at Indiana University, where she majored in music education with an emphasis in both piano and voice performance.  After a brief tenure at Grand Rapids Community College under the tutelage of Duane Davis, Mandy finished her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at Western Michigan University.  While there, she studied under Dr. Joe Miller, Diana Spradling, and Dr. Steve Zegree; she performed with the University Chorale and was a student leader in the internationally regarded WMU Gold Company when it traveled to Europe for a three week tour of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Mandy continued her studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables Florida.  While there, she conducted the Women’s Chorale and Chamber Singers, produced an Honor Choir for area middle- and high-school students, and studied under Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe.  While a member of the UM Chorale, Mandy toured the northeast, including a series of performances at the ACDA National Convention.  She received her Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting in May of 2003.

Mandy currently resides in Grosse Pointe with her husband, a faculty member at Schoolcraft College and a freelance arranger/composer.