Sharon Vela grew up in the “musical oasis” of Wichita and is a graduate of Wichita State University in Kansas with a degree in music education with a concentration in violin and piano & voice-secondary.

She was a member of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra for six years, several bay area orchestras, and soloed for various events as well as teaching violin and viola privately.

Sharon taught classroom music in Wichita for four years before moving to California in 1971 where she began teaching in Antioch at the elementary level — choral, classroom and instrumental and later moved to junior high. Her students actively participated in CMEA group performances as well as conference groups and ACDA honor choirs. All totalled, 38 years of public school music, 34 in Antioch, before retiring in June of 2005.

Ms. Vela served as choral representative for the CMEA Bay Section for 4 years and is active in CMEA, MENC and ACDA.She presents various workshops for CMEA Bay Section/State and other organizations on music education, choral, strings, and “Juggling for Better Reading”

Sharon is presently involved in a career of “part time things” — private teaching studio, teaching two days per week at an elementary doing classroom & instrumental music, adjudicating for CMEA in choral and instrumental, freelance performing and guest conducting.