Amber Blakovich was born and raised in New Jersey. She has an adorable 3-year-old beagle named Copper. “He’s my little dude,” said Ms. Blakovich. She has been singing ever since she can remember. Her parents had her audition for a children’s choir when she was in 3rd grade and she stayed with that group until 12th grade. “We traveled all over – Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Belgium, France, New Orleans, North Carolina, New York, etc. It was an amazing experience.”

In high school, she performed with four different ensembles at her school, and she also auditioned for and sang in their County, Region, All-State, North Eastern, and National choirs for all four years. “Choir has been a HUGE part of my life for so long – it’s a dream come true to share my passion for it with such wonderful students!”

Ms. Blakovich recently graduated from James Madison University this past December with a Bachelor of Music, studying Vocal Music Education for grades K-12. “The community was incredibly warm and welcoming, and from the moment I stepped on the campus my senior year of high school to visit, I knew I was home,” she said. Ms. Blakovich was in JMU’s premiere all-female a cappella group, Note-Oriety, as well as an all-female professional music fraternity, Sigma Alpha Iota.

Ms. Blakovich’s first impressions of WAHS was that she was blown away by the facilities and opportunities. “WAHS has so many incredible opportunities for students when it comes to classes, activities, and sports that it really creates a unique high school experience for all and an experience that you should definitely take advantage of. For instance, why didn’t my high school have a TV production class? I don’t know, but now I’m bummed that we didn’t! It’s just so cool to me.”

Not only was she amazed by all of the opportunities, but she admires the building itself. “The architects have done an incredible job with the break out spaces that were created in the hallways, and the teachers in all of the classrooms I’ve seen have done such a great job with utilizing their classrooms in unique ways. I love it!”

Ms. Blakovich’s favorite part of teaching at WAHS and Henley is how cool the students are and how dedicated they are to music, whether they’re in choir, writing music in their free time, or rocking out on the guitar. “You really get to connect with people in a different way when you’re making music together, and I love that these students know that and connect with one another, and with me, while we’re doing it.”

For a music teacher, picking a favorite genre is hard. “I listen to a lot of country, some pop, and a lot of classical music, but also a little bit of everything else.” Some students and her were joking around about how they think all she does is listen to choir music in her free time and she shared that it’s honestly… not far from the truth. “I’ll be running on the treadmill, and still jamming out to some Mozart.” She enjoys music because it’s transcendent and it’s an outlet like no other. Ms. Blakovich also recently got into running, and she tries to do it as often as she can; she’s even signed up for a half marathon in DC on March 11.

When it comes to her favorite sweet and salty snack combinations, Ms.Blakovich had a tough time deciding. In the end, she said, “Honestly, give me some fries and a vanilla frosty to dip them in and I’m good to go!”