Biography
With the high standards of Professor McGonagall, the enthusiasm of Hagrid, and a bit of the magic of Mary Poppins, music teacher, choir director, and singer-songwriter Libby Wiebel (Weeble/ˈlɪbi ˈwi bʊl) prides herself on building musical communities based in authenticity. Beyond learning to sing and play, Libby’s students learn how to trust themselves, push themselves, and become confident musicians for life.
Libby started studying piano at age 7 and began teaching at age 15. She earned her bachelor’s degree in math and computer science from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, while also studying piano pedagogy there. She continued to study and teach piano while she earned her MS in computer science at the College of William & Mary. Since then Libby has expanded her instructional repertoire to include voice, guitar, and ukulele. Libby is comfortable teaching a variety of music genres, and she makes sure her students have a strong foundation in music theory. Students receive lessons in their own homes in Arlington and Alexandria and participate in occasional recitals, festivals, and optional assessments.
As the choir director, organist, and music minister at St. John’s Broad Creek Episcopal Church, Libby enjoys working with adult ensembles and composing and arranging music for worship and for her choir. She is also an accomplished folk singer-songwriter whose albums include Erasing Yesterday and The Wait-a-While Estates.
Committed to continuing to learn about her craft, Libby is currently pursuing a series of exams through the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has studied the Estill Voice Training method, and regularly participates in professional development through the Music Teachers National Association. Libby has been quoted in several books about private music instruction.
In 2015 Libby underwent deep brain stimulation surgery to address the effects of essential tremor, a common but misunderstood medical condition. After the surgery, Libby had to relearn her vocal and instrumental technique; with a tremor that had come on in her teenage years, she had been compensating for the tremor for so long that her brain had adapted to a certain way of singing and playing that she no longer needed to do, so the way she approached her instruments needed to change.
To learn more about Libby’s music instruction or church music composition, contact her at libbywiebel@gmail.com.
