It is my pleasure to provide this letter of recommendation for Ms. Lori Williams, an outstanding music educator I have had the honor of knowing for over 20 years. First through the Choral Arts Society of Washington and now with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ms. Williams has worked in partnership with me to support and augment music education for her students for three educational institutions serving students from pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. Ms. Williams is an exceptional music educator. Whether building a strong musical foundation for the early learner, or mentoring and coaching individual students and her ensembles with college and conservatory bound music majors, Ms. Williams provides excellent music instruction and is both respected and liked by her students and their families. Ms. Williams’s choirs and individual students have received numerous awards and accolades for their musicianship. Throughout my association with Ms. Williams, what I have found incredibly inspiring is her work as a professional musician balanced with her work as a music educator. Ms. Williams brings her wealth of experience as a professional singer working with other exceptional artists to her work as a music educator. She serves as an exemplary role model with relevant, present day experience in the music industry. I look forward to seeing Ms. Williams continue to develop the next generation of musicians and highly recommend her for work with musicians at every developmental level.

Jeanette McCune, Director, School and Community Programs, Education Division
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

As the Director of Music for the District of Columbia Public Schools, I had the opportunity to work with Ms. Lori Williams in a variety of capacities. Her choirs were always exemplary and consistently earned high marks when they traveled for festivals and when they performed for DCPS festivals. Lori's work within the school was focused on bettering the school climate in general while expecting excellence from her students in all of their endeavors. Ms. Williams' classroom was a "safe space" where I saw students seek out her guidance on a personal level.
Lori's skills as a musician also blossomed during her time at DC Public Schools. Her work as a professional singer was a great asset for her teaching. Ms. Williams was doing what her students dreamed of doing and she would transfer those experiences into her teaching repertoire. Her concerts both locally and internationally were chances for everyone in her sphere learn. Lori became adept at leading groups and running recording sessions.
Ms. Williams also led professional development workshops where she shared her philosophy and techniques with other educators. Her continued growth as an educator and musician over the years has come to embody the qualities that are needed for today's students. Part psychologist, social worker, resource expert, content guru, and pedagogical leader combine to serve all students. I wish Ms. Lori Williams all the best in her new endeavors and have the utmost confidence that her continued work with students of all ages will be of great import to all involved.

Ben Hall - TheMusicConsultancy.org

Positive Music for Positive Minds is truly the best name considering the kind and engaging spirt of the program’s founder- Ms. Lori Williams. I worked with Lori for four years and supervised her work transforming the hearts, minds and voices of students at Wilson High School. Lori is the real deal. While the music is important, of course, what mattered most to Lori was developing relationships, helping students learn responsibility and healing their hearts—all through music! Lori was able to take the transformative power of music and the transformative power of excellent teaching and combine the two, which resulted in a nurturing, creative and inclusive environment where students were able to learn, grow and evolve. I am thrilled to hear that Ms. Williams is still nurturing the hearts of young people and while she is truly missed at Wilson High, I have no doubt that students and families are being blessed by her new endeavors. She is a person of integrity and craftsmanship, so I am supremely confident that she is having a powerful impact on the lives that she touches.

Kimberly J. Martin, Former Principal, Wilson High School
Instructional Superintendent, District of Columbia Public Schools

It is my distinct honor and privilege to offer my personal and professional endorsement and recommendation in testament to the consummate professionalism and selfless dedication of Lori Williams, a highly effective leader in the arts and education, whom I have known as a colleague and friend for over 35 years. As I reflect upon our collaboration and my own observations relative to her career in both the public and private sectors—spanning nearly four decades—I am mightily impressed with her ability to remain perpetually contemporary and vital to numerous publics. And it is highest esteem that I offer my professional support and commend Positive Music for Positive Minds (PMPM), the extension of Lori’s artistry and pedagogical skill. An extraordinary musician, Lori’s vocal prowess spans multiple genres as perceived by the lay-listener. Having performed with her on several occasions, I assert that the nexus of her musicianship and charisma is astonishing. I have witnessed audiences literally transform into eager participants in the essence of a musical experience. From the technical perspective, Lori’s sound is flawlessly graceful—perceived visually and aurally as elegant and seemingly effortless. It is in this form that Lori’s impeccable communicative expression finds its mark with audiences of any generation, race, ethnicity, or creed. Her authentically genuine spirit and respect for the musical arts immediately permeate the stage and the room. PMPM is that which I would label the full embodiment of Lori Williams for its service to youth and the community and commitment to musical excellence.
A hallmark of Lori’s success as an entrepreneur, educator, parent, and artist has been her effectiveness as a uniquely charismatic, visionary servant/leader. She has always looked to the future, and since I have known her, she has been an ardent proponent of timeless methods and concepts. Lori is uniquely gifted with a very real sensibility with regard to effective ways to meaningfully engage groups, regardless of provenance or generation. Over the years, her ideas for ideas for recording projects, performances, and teaching methodologies (among others) have been consistently successful and sustainable. And, in that light, I am an enthusiastic supporter of PMPM.
Lori’s stellar reputation as an international headliner on the concert stage and critically acclaimed recordings are the mainstay of her career; she has shared the stage with the most celebrated names in the music industry. I have accompanied her high school choral groups and it is readily apparent that her uncompromising standards for excellence in her own performances transfer to her classroom. The literature performed by her high school students was always suitable for any professional group. The students’ decorum and the clear coaching of attention to detail were comparable to that which one would normally expect from professionals. It is no wonder that her award-winning choral groups have been recognized for sustained high achievement.
Lori Williams, in the midst of a flourishing career as a celebrated vocal artist, has altruistically accepted the responsibilities associated with perpetuation of the arts and the enriching the lives of aspiring young performers. I have served in higher education executive administration for over three decades, and it is my own observation that Lori is easily one of the finest educator/performers I have ever encountered. I salute her vision, commitment, and unwavering energy in the development of PMPM and offer this recommendation without reservation in highest regard.

W. Weldon Hill
Music Department Chairperson, VA State University
(Past Provost and Vice President)

Jazz Vocalist Lori Williams was our 2022-2023 Artist in Residence here at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Prior to her arrival, our Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Dr. Frances Ward-Johnson, our Jazz Ensemble Director, Dr. Jonovan Cooper, and I, met with Lori via Zoom to discuss what would take place during her residency, starting on October 22, 2022. Rehearsals and masterclasses were planned for that week. Lori Williams led a songwriting masterclass for the students in our arranging course and with her assistance, the students wrote several songs. Lori gave a vocal masterclass to the students who were studying voice with Dr. Van-Anthoney Hall and Professor Valerie Johnson and gave feedback on their performances. In addition, she gave a masterclass on music production, describing various aspects of the music business. Lastly, she led a jazz master class for the History of Jazz course. This October residency led to the Fall University Jazz Ensemble Concert, which featured selections by the University Choir (Maestro Travis Alexander, Director), and performances of Lori Williams with the Faculty Jazz Ensemble, which included Dr. Jonovan Cooper and I, as well as Turner Battle, Chris Sharp, and Jeremy “Bean” Clemmons. For the April 2023 Residency, we planned a more interactive approach with the masterclasses. During the first week of the residency (April 24-28), Lori led some masterclasses with our electronic music courses, in which students were tasked with writing tracks on Garage Band, or FL studios, specifically for Lori Williams. During the masterclasses, she listened to the tracks and gave feedback and allowed the students to give feedback. She led a live collaborative project on Garage Band, where each student played or recorded a different instrument for the ensemble. This exercise proved to be challenging and rewarding as it required teamwork, along with listening and improvisation, which are key elements in jazz music. In addition to working with the students in the vocal division, she worked with the University Jazz Ensemble, jazz vocalists, and the faculty ensemble. Lori performed with the University Jazz Combo for the Chancellor’s Town & Gown Event, which was a fundraiser for the Department of Visual & Performing Arts, which included The Dr. Sheryl Lee Ralph as the keynote speaker, a lavash dinner, and more, as the pre-event to our production of Dream Girls. During the second week of the April 2023 residency (April 3-5), Lori worked with the University Jazz Ensemble, the jazz vocalists, and the Faculty Jazz Ensemble, which consisted of the same group from October, with the addition of Drorester Alexander. Lori worked with the vocalists on their individual selections, Fly Me to the Moon, Stormy Weather, and L-O-V-E. Lori rehearsed the jazz vocal trio on an arrangement of Sing, Sing, Sing and a Clifford Brown Melody which included I Remember Clifford and Joy Spring. This residency led to the Spring Jazz Ensemble Concert. The concert was a success and Lori Williams has received rave reviews by the students, faculty, Dean, Provost, and the Chancellor, as well as the community. We are looking forward to continuing this relationship with international jazz vocalist Lori Williams.

Dr. John P. Henry, Interim Chair of Visual & Performing Arts
Music Program Director - North Carolina A&T State University