Lauren McBride lived in or around Marietta most of her life and attended Marietta City Schools. She began playing clarinet in 4th grade and began singing in choirs in 9th grade. By her Senior year she was Student Director of Choirs at Marietta High School and the school's first AP Music Theory student. She also wore many hats, including singing, acting and stage managing, as part of The Cobb Children’s Theatre from age 11 to 18.
Mrs. McBride was accepted to several universities with music scholarships and chose to attend Jacksonville University in Florida as an Elementary Music Education major with a focus on voice and clarinet. She entered with a vocal scholarship that included the role of Assistant Director of Choirs. Along with performing in mixed, women's, vocal jazz, & madrigal choirs and various instrumental ensembles, she was an officer and active participant in a number of organizations both in and out of music, including the Honor Student Assoc., top shot of the Rifle Team, Vice President of Mu Phi Epsilon (co-ed music fraternity), and President of the Resident Students’ Assoc. Lauren was the sole nominee of J.U. and one of only 100 students across the US chosen by Princeton University to attend a "Future Leaders of America" conference with Admiral Crowe and other government officials in Chicago.
During college and through recent years Lauren has taught private clarinet and voice lessons, group voice, and musical theatre classes. She has sung The National Anthem at numerous sporting events, ceremonies and parades…one of her favorite things to do. She has sung in performing choirs, such as The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and Chamber Singers (1 of 16 chosen from 130 singers) as well as The Marietta Master Chorale locally.
In Fall 2005 Lauren began the first music program at McEachern United Methodist Church Preschool and Kindergarten. While continuing that position in 2006, she also became the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church Marietta Preschool. Summer 2005 Lauren was trained and certified to teach the Musikgarten curricula, then soon became a national and local member, as well as a Level 1 Certified Teacher of the ECMMA (Early Childhood Music & Movement Association). After falling in love with this new curriculum and it’s fun, creative way of teaching music literacy, Lauren decided to bring Musikgarten into the preschools, and also began teaching family music classes in local dance studio and named her business Miss LaLa’s Musikgarten Adventures. Miss LaLa hated to leave the wonderful program at First Presb. and especially misses the large music programs, but realized that she needed to open a retail space to be able to do everything she wanted to do with families, and began that dream at the end of the 2007 school year. Since opening Miss LaLa’s Treehouse, a Music & Arts Centre in Marietta in September 2007 Lauren has expanded her program to include music & art birthday parties, Musikgarten for infants to 9 years (piano), Christian Pop Star Choir for 7-12 year olds, Summer music and art camps for 3-12+y, art for 20 months to adults, and space rentals for showers and parties! She is now a partner of the Cobb Symphony Orchestra...bringing an actress in costume to read a book to their family concert audiences, paint faces, and have musical fun with their audience members before each concert. She has volunteered to face paint at many school events, at Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day, and received an award for her face painting artworks at The Avenue West Cobb's Halloween event in 2008.
Lauren is now better known as Miss LaLa and her supportive husband, who also dresses in character costumes at events, introduces himself as Mr. LaLa much of the time. Her dad gave her the nickname LaLa as a small child and it reappeared as her friends began using it due to all the singing she did in high school. She is also called Aunt LaLa by her nieces and nephews. Though God, music, and kids are her true passions, she also loves gardening and animals. She lives in Dallas, Georgia with Scott, her loving husband since 1997, and her 2 amazing and talented daughters, Brianna (born 1999), and Alyssa (born 2003). They are all active members of West Ridge Church in Dallas where Lauren has sung in the worship choir, led music camp, and has also been a Praise & Worship Leader for the preschoolers.
Lauren is finally close to the “American dream”…making a living at what she loves, which for her means spreading the joy and education of music & art to local families, working with children, and performing whenever possible. Her passion for music and art is real and contagious, and she looks forward to many years of working in this business.
SHANNON LINDSAY, Shannonigans Theatre (Drama)
Originally a native of the Central New York area, Shannon graduated from Niagara University, magna cum laude, with a B.F.A. degree in Theatre Arts. She has been performing and directing in professional, community and children's theaters in the Boston area for more than a decade. She began teaching acting and creative arts classes for Pocket Full of Tales Theatre Company in Natick, MA and Chelsea Youth Theatre in Chelsea, MA in 2005. In 2008, Shannon founded Shannonigans Theatre Workshop. She believes in process-based hands-on learning focused on encouraging creativity, discovery and imagination. Shannon has directed for Curtain Call Youth Players in Marietta and performed locally with Theatre On Main's School Day Theatre program. Shannon has worked with children in one way or another for most of her life and is now the mother of 2 beautiful boys herself. Now playing the roles of Mother, Teacher, Director and Performer, Shannon truly believe she has found her calling.
Laura Dewberry Surace
Portraiture/Landscape/Abstract Artist, teaches Art History to 7-13y, teaches Life Drawing/Acrylic Painting to teens-adults
Nancy Clemmer
Muralist for our studio w/ Artworks for sale in our Gallery, as well as Miss LaLa's mother
For Nancy Clemmer art is a continuing spiritual journey. “My images come to me from deep within, and time spent creating art is intensely peaceful. It somehow makes sense of my world and is one of my favorite places to be. If my art can then touch someone else’s heart, the circle is complete.”
Nancy has worked primarily in watercolor or pen and ink, but enjoys experimenting with diverse media. She has created and sold art of hand built pottery, acrylic, mixed media, colored pencil, and more. “Using different media is like visiting different countries. Each one has its own unique characteristics. It’s fascinating to see what emerges from each journey.”
She is a self-taught artist, other than a handful of classes at The Art Institute of Atlanta and Abernathy Arts Center in figure sketching and pottery, respectively. She has exhibited at various locations, including Artisan Resource Center and Mount Gallery.
Nancy was a professional writer and editor for 18 years, both on staff and freelance. She worked for Atlanta Magazine, Active Parenting Publishers and numerous others. She is an Atlanta native and currently resides near the Marietta Square with her husband, John, who is a professional photographer, artist, and musician (below).
John Clemmer Photography
Photographer w/ items for sale in our Gallery, as well as Miss LaLa's step-father
John is a retired Navy musician with 24 years of service. Upon his retirement in 1991, he attended The Portfolio Center in Atlanta and studied advertising photography. Since that time, he has developed his craft in architectural shooting and sets himself apart with quality, distinction, and a hard work ethic.
John's passions are music, travel, and fine art photography. As a member of the Roswell Photographic Society in Roswell GA, he has had a great opportunity to express himself with his fine art. He has exhibited his work in art galleries, the Artisan Resource Center in Marietta, GA, The Center For Fine Art Photography in Colorado, the Marietta Museum of Fine Art, Heaven Blue Rose Contemporary Gallery in Roswell, Fulton County Public Library, Gallery 4463 in Acworth, GA, and other various venues. His latest gallery display is at the Southern Arts Society in Kings Mountain, NC.
As a tool of expression, John uses Photoshop as his palette to create stunning images from many of his photographs, as well as purely digital creations mostly in the abstract. He has also recently developed a technique to render images in the fashion of a Polaroid emulsion transfer, displaying them in a unique style mounted on plexiglass.
Today he lives near the Square in Marietta, GA in a quaint old home, circa 1934, with his wife Nancy.
Artist statement:
My greatest passion in life is fine art, whether it be photography, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, whatever. Beauty presents itself and I absorb it. It’s that simple. Hopefully, my work gives back some of what I take from life. I am grateful for the fun of doing it.
http://www.EyeOfTheArt.com/JohnClemmer
http://www.JohnClemmerPhotography.com
