Alissa’s story

Alissa Tanguay has been a lover of music ever since she can remember. Her musical studies officially began at age 5 when her grandmother started teaching Alissa how to play the piano. From there, she took up violin at age 9, and has continued to add instruments such as viola, voice, harp, and percussion. Alissa graduated from Southern Adventist University near Chattanooga Tennessee with her B.Mus in Music Education with a concentration in piano, and has also completed the first four levels of Suzuki Violin training.

Alissa is a teacher through and through, and one of her passions is mentoring new music teachers. She spent several years as the music director of a private religious K-12 school in Southern California where she instructed 200+ students in music classes and ensembles as well as planned tours and concerts. She has also been teaching private music lessons for nearly 8 years. Additionally, Alissa enjoys orchestral chamber playing, composing and arranging music, and playing at gigs in the Inland Empire area of California.

Music reaches people and touches hearts in a special way, and Alissa believes that God expects us to be musical missionaries. She tries to follow this Biblical model for media and art found in Philippians 4:8 which says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Every gift a musician has comes from God, so the use made of those gifts is an offering of thanksgiving. What a privilege to unite others in worship!

When not involved in music, Alissa can often be found in an airport, engaged in outdoor activities, reading, cooking, podcasting (Carved to Beautify), and spending time with friends. Alissa loves experiencing the joy of music with students and friends, and she has been burdened by the amount of musician friends who have had to diverge from the music path due to injuries. This empathy prompted her to become a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Alissa is committed to teaching students proper body mechanics, ergonomics, and physiologically safe ways to participate in music, so that their love of music can last a lifetime.