She didn't have to look for encouragement when her love for singing took off. My father, Jack Oatts, was one of the first jazz educators in Iowa. Before she took up singing, Sue was blowin' her tenor sax in jazz band and tootin' a duet with Clark Terry at a jazz festival on her clarinet. I think playing a horn has had a great influence on my singing. I've tried to approach singing from an instrumental mindset.
Space is just as important as sound.
After attending college, Sue began a studio career producing and singing jingles and industrials with a voice-over thrown in on occasion. For the past five years she's been teaching music theory, vocal studio techniques and is the coordinator of the ensemble dept. You'll also find her at various night spots singing her cool jazz.