Espresso, Gelato, Music!

Shari Fulton is a former student at DSM where she studied saxophone, flute, and even sang with the Student Jazz Ensemble. Unfortunately, life and work had her relocate to CA,  but her passion for music still burns! 


Shari and her husband Tom are the proud owners of Zia's, a gelato, espresso, dessert and pastry restaurant in Placerville, CA.  Aside from making great gelato in such interesting flavors as Pineapple-Passion-fruit and Cucumber-Mint, Shari finds the time to hear and book local musical talent for special evenings at the cafe. 

"We've had everything from a traditional Irish group celebrating St. Patrick's Day to classical guitarists, folk singers and of course, all sorts and sizes of jazz combos!" she says enthusiastically.

Shari is an interesting and multi-faceted lady.  The grand-daughter of Italian immigrants, she lived for four years in northern Italy and speaks the language fluently. Her passion for music is equally rivaled by a thirst for knowledge and the simple pleasures that most Italians pursue... "la bella vita" or "the beautiful life".  These interests include gelato, espresso, fine wines, wonderful food, and of course, great music!

We miss her here at DSM but wish her great success with Zia's.  Be sure to visit  Zia's Facebook page and if you're a MusickEd-er in her area, stop by for a fantastic latte or unique gelato.  Be sure to tell Shari we said ciao!

Staff Spotlight - 8PM Tuesday Evening

I strolled down the halls at DSM/MusickEd last night to get a picture for a future blog and found Jenn Escue hard at work in the middle of a voice lesson.  Actually, it was hard to tell if she was teaching as I could hear both laughter and singing as I made my way down the hall. 

Jenn is a vocalist on staff at MusickEd/DSM and always has a great time with her students.  Besides teaching at DSM, Jenn also contributes to the MusickEd Support Center, writing tips and even designing 'solfege' charts for the vocal subscribers. As of late, she has been helping to create 'veils' for the thousands of web pages protected by the MusickEd copyright.

Jenn will be completing her Master's Degree in Jazz Pedagogy this August from the University of North Texas.  "It's been a long process but it's also a lot of fun. There are a bunch of talented people at the school and in the program."

And what are her goals after completing the degree?

"I plan on completing an album of jazz standards by the Spring of 2011" she says with reserved optimism.  

We'll keep you posted as to her progress.  And if you're near our campus, stop in anytime.  Just  follow the laughing and singing to Office 203.  Jenn will be happy to say hello.