Home » Member Page

Nicole Yarling

About Me

Nicole's education is extensive and ongoing, ranging from a BA in Music from Baruch College, to a Masters in Music Education at Columbia University, as well as private training in composition, arranging, voice and violin. Ms. Yarling just completed a 20 year stint at Florida Memorial University as an Assistant Professor, and Director of Popular Music. She is currently full-time Lecturer at the University of Miami, teaching voice, various ensembles, and is in the process of creating courses for Eclectic Strings. With her creativity, performance, teaching and encouragement she aids in establishing strong artistic community ties. As a mentor, she established a concert series thirteen years ago called Jazz Encounters, at radio station WDNA in Miami. As a result of the series, she created the Jazz Education Community Coalition, going into its eleventh year, where she mentors young musicians with an interest in studying Jazz. In 2018, Ms. Yarling received a $10,000 Knights Arts Champion award for her work with the JECC. She has participated as adjudicator, educational consultant, and performer for the prestigious Young Arts organization based in Miami for the past ten years. In Ft. Lauderdale, Nicole serves as Educational Director and host of a monthly jazz jam for young musicians, First Friday Jam, sponsored by the Gold Coast Jazz Society going into its thirteenth year. The Jazz Journalists of America acknowledged her efforts when she received the Jazz Hero Award for 2015. In 2016, Ms. Yarling was inducted into the South Florida Jazz Hall of Fame. In 2020 she was bestowed the honor as one of the top African American Educators in South Florida and in 2022 acknowledged for her work in Jazz by the Links, and she received a $10,000 grant to complete a programmatic composition entitled, “A Matter of Black Lives: African American Fiddlers” that premiered in February 2023. For the past four years, Ms. Yarling has served as curator of the Student stage for the South Beach Jazz Festival. Ms. Yarling will be featured in The Story of Art in America, a docuseries exploring the role of Art in American society and its diverse communities, from large cities to small rural communities in 2023. Nicole will collaborate with jazz pianist Martin Bejerano on The Purple Project, which will reimagine Prince tunes.