Idaho Arts Charter School
Cynthia Sutton

Hello! My name is Cynthia Sutton, and I'm excited to be joining the faculty of Idaho Arts Charter School this year! I attended Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts while in High School, and adored being in an environment so excited about, and focused on creative expression.

I worked in the Meridian School District for eleven years, starting at Seven Oaks Elementary, then moving to Eagle Middle School, and then opening up Lewis and Clark Middle School, where I've taught for the last eight years. While at Lewis and Clark, I created and taught the Guitar Class for middle school level in the district, and directing sixth, seventh and eight graders in Choir. I had a classroom as well as an auditioned Honors Choir, which performed at the Festival of Trees, the Capitol Rotunda, Tree-Lighting ceremonies, as well as at Choir Festival. For our Spring Concerts we often performed a "mini-musical," with sets, costumes, dancing and acting, including "Les Miserables" and "Pirates of Penzance."

I am a bibliophile, and haven't yet met a subject I find boring - except maybe Laundry! I almost changed my major to Physics while in college, when I got introduced properly. (Oh! That's why they teach us Math!!!) When I attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts, I actually studied Art, and continue to paint (especially murals!) when I can find time and space, and get my nose out of a book!
           
History is another passion of mine! I lead a Renaissance musical group, playing recorders of all voices, as well as guitar and percussion, as well as vocal music. I am a costumer, and enjoy creating pieces which are as authentic as possible, to wear while I am performing Renaissance music.

I am in the local band Something for Alice, in which I sing, play keyboard, and guitar. (You can check out our website at www.somethingforalice.com, if you're curious!) We play rock & country, and I get to jam with my husband, Don, also a musician - he's our bass player, and also sings.

I am also a composer and songwriter, and have written pieces for choirs (I got to conduct a piece I composed as part of my college graduation ceremony!) as well as piano. Three of my choral pieces were selected for the Hutchens Award for Composition. I have written songs which were used by a statewide-touring educational puppet show in Kentucky, as well as writing songs for the book "Chocolate and Fireflies" by local author Suzanne Locklear. I have been working on songwriting with my band's guitarist John Stefan, and we're getting ready to record several songs we've written into a marketable CD.

I met my husband while we were both attending Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky. We met in choir, and both have degrees in music - I have a B.A. in Vocal Music Education. We have three beautiful daughters, and one granddaughter! Our oldest daughter, Elysabeth, and her husband Erik, are both involved in music theater in Nampa and Boise. Our middle daughter, Koshka, is a freshman at Meridian High School, where she's into Choir, Theater, and Japanese, and our youngest, Bronwyn, attends Treasure Valley Math Science Center. We have two wonderful kitties (although one steals shoes!), and two beautiful Siberian Huskies.

Send me an email
Have Questions?

Back to Teacher Biographies