Dr. Diana Allan, associate professor of voice at Missouri Southern, was recently named president-elect of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
Founded in 1944 and headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., the association has more than 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and more than 35 other countries. The NATS mission statement is “to encourage the highest standards of the vocal art and of ethical principals in the teaching of singing; and to promote vocal education and research at all levels, both for the enrichment of the general public and for the professional advancement of the talented.”
“I’ve been a member of NATS for over 30 years,” says Allan. “The organization is for voice teachers of any level. What we do is simply foster good singing and the good teaching of singing. We hold auditions for students of NATS teachers, as well as workshops and conferences throughout the 14 different regions across the country.”
Last fall, Allan took two of her vocal students from Missouri Southern to the central region conference at the University of Iowa. One of those students, senior Tanner Munson, advanced to the finals during the vocal competition held there.
Allan has held several leadership roles within NATS, including a chapter president position in Texas, audition chair and governor of the Texoma (Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico) Region. She currently serves as vice president for auditions on the NATS board of directors. In June, she and the other new officers will be installed during the national conference in Knoxville, Tenn.
She says that in past years, the president-elect position primarily required observation of the current president and their duties. However, the position has become much more active of late.
“There’s a new strategic plan for the organization, which I will be project managing,” she says. “Besides that, I may head up the management of a new revenue stream that is being developed.”
After two years as president-elect, Allan will be installed as president for two years, then serve as past president for an additional two years.
“The relationships you build in an organization like this are priceless,” she says. “I’ve had wonderful interactions with our members, and our current president is a role model for me. She’s made great strides in bringing our organization up to date and I’m very excited for the future.”