Meet Anna Arata

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Arata.

Hi Anna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am the Director of Donor and Media Relations here at W.O. Smith, but much like everyone on our staff, I wear multiple hats. I began at the school as a music theory and vocal teacher volunteer in 2017.

Having gotten a degree in music, I was interested in expanding my teaching abilities and W.O. Smith was somewhere I had my eye on since coming here in 2012 for college. In 2018, the school had an opening for an administrative assistant and I was fortunately hired on as a part-time staff person.

Then in 2021, I was hired as a full-time staff member in my current role. My mother has always instilled the importance of giving back to the community in me. She was a college professor and did a lot of research on community impact regarding psychology and sociology.

As a kid, we participated in countless fundraiser bike rides, walks, and earth day pickups. My favorite was working for the Boston Marathon, where she and I worked at a water station for over 10 years. I need to work in an environment where I know I can positively impact young people and influence the future of our community.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
We have a very tiny staff here consisting of 4 full-time staff people and one part-time. With this small crew, we are responsible for all of the operations and programming of 150 volunteers and 300-400 students.

It means that we all have a lot of responsibilities on a given day, which can be refreshing and challenging all at the same time. For instance, my job includes developing a curriculum for new classes, putting together camp materials, arranging choir music, directing a choir, assisting with front desk needs, having parent-teacher conferences, and having private lessons all in addition to my desk work of grant writing and social media work.

The biggest struggle of the past few years has been Covid. It was difficult navigating the protocols needed for such a diverse population of people, transitioning people to online learning, developing entirely new classes to accommodate online learning, and then transitioning everyone back to in-person activities. Every week was a new curveball and we are still picking up the pieces from all of the complications of that time.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the Director of Donor and Media Relations here at W.O. Smith Music School. I have a lot of passion for my work here and am currently continuing my education at Cumberland University in the Masters of Public Service program to learn more about running non-profits. In addition to my title and schooling, I serve as the vocal specialist at the school.

I studied music and voice in my undergraduate studies at Belmont University. Since moving here in 2012, I have performed countless times around the Nashville and Midwest areas. I am trained in contemporary and classical styles, but my passion lies in Jazz. I love listening to and studying great jazz vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, and Esperanza Spalding.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Fortunately for us, Nashville is built upon a community of creative artists.

I hope this continues to grow as we become a bigger and bigger city. If it does, we will continue bridging the gap of opportunity for children who do not have the means to express themselves creatively due to financial setbacks.

Contact Info:

• Website: wosmith.org
• Instagram: @wosmithmusicschool
• Facebook: facebook.com/wosmithmuscischool
• Twitter: @wo_smith
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfEtbOPixgiyf4Wq2r2rZhw

Image Credits
W.O. Smith Staff