Susana is an independent artist from Medellin, Colombia who found herself in Nashville thanks to her love for music. Her music education started at the age of 4 at “Colegio de Musica de Medellin”, where she took lessons for over a decade and got to, not only be classically trained in piano and work on perfecting and implementing a healthy vocal technique but also to be in a band setting which led her to teach herself guitar and ukulele among other instruments.

At the age of 16 she took over her schools music program where she worked with several groups of students of different ages on instrumentation, band arrangement, and eventually led them to perform and even compete at other local schools. A few years later she had the opportunity to travel around Colombia and perform at different auditoriums with other local musicians, all due to the positive response from a show she played at her College campus.

In 2019 Susana decided to move to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, where she lived for two years and where she got her formal music education at Musicians Institute, as well as performed under her first independent Artist project “Susa”. From this project she had a couple of songs that were featured on an independently produced web-show in Brazil and an independent movie in Denmark. Throughout this period, Susana continued to share her passion for music by providing private and group lessons, an experience that allowed her to explore the profound impact of music education and solidify her love for teaching. Currently, you can find Susana writing, recording and playing original music around town under her project Physical Touch as well as sharing her passion for music with Nashville’s next generation of musicians.

Susana’s Teaching Philosophy: “Music is healing, helpful and fun! My priority as a mentor is to help my students find that passion for music, no matter where it comes from, and turn it into a positive resource.”

What’s been the highlight of your professional career — like your biggest spotlight moment to date?
“I would have to say my first time being licensed for a show. When I first started making music I remember thinking how my end goal wouldn’t be playing for a sold out arena but have my music inspire so much emotion that it ends up recreating that emotion on that person who listens, and I think that’s the purpose of a soundtrack, to convey a specific emotion on the viewer.”

What type of student will excel best with you as his/her mentor?
“Students who are willing to go with the flow of the lesson, be open minded and speak up about their expectations and their experience”

What does being a “Mentor” mean to you and why are you excited to step into this role?
“I think as adults sometimes we forget what it was like to be a child and how differently our minds worked at that age. Working with children or anyone learning something new takes for you to get to know them and understand them as an individual so you both can get the best results. I love teaching and sharing my love for music and I’m just excited to see my students grow and for me to learn back from them.”

What type of music did you grow up listening to? How did it influence your artistry?
“Growing up in Colombia, I didn’t have a lot of access to a lot of the classics that people around me now grew up with. I was around a lot of latin genres, Spanish rock, as well as classical. I think now listening to more indie artists and bands with a more alternative sound, I have a grasp of how different rhythms or concepts can be incorporated into more modern trends and I’m grateful to have had that opportunity.”

Where is your favorite local spot? 
“I’ve seen a lot of great live shows at the Exit In, but I absolutely love Game Terminal!”

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
“Believe it or not, I wanted to be a musician or a music teacher! and I get to live the dream now!”