A singer from Devonport, Dana Badcock has recently arrived in the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar. She is studying at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana, a prestigious jazz institution.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I grew up in Devonport, where I attended school from kindergarten through to grade 12. Now, I’ve just moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to undertake postgraduate study in jazz voice at the Jacobs School of Music, one of the top jazz schools in the world, for the next two years.

Take us through your journey as a singer. At the age of eight with weekly singing lessons from Brett Budgeon. Despite having no musicians in my family, I loved singing and joined the Department of Education’s Crescendo Choir, directed by Elizabeth Sandman. The choir allowed me to travel and perform both nationally and internation­ally for ten years. In grades 11 and 12, I took two UTAS college music courses and was scouted by renowned violin­ist Peter Tanfield, who awarded me a full scholarship to attend the UTAS Conservatorium. There, I took transform­ative lessons from Maria Lurighi for three years. Since moving to Hobart, I taught in nine different schools and performed at events like Dark Mofo, Australian Musical Theatre Festival, and the Festival of Voices, where I sang with Marcia Hines and produced and performed in the opening show of the 2022 festival, Motown Under The Stars.

You started teaching singing when you were just 14. How do you think this has influenced your teaching style? It was my first job and I took it very seriously, dedicating a lot of time to researching the science behind the voice. Any musical concept or vocal technique I didn’t understand, I found a book or podcast to explain to me. Confidence comes from experience, and as I am about to turn 24, I now have ten years under my belt of proving time and again that if I don’t have the answer now, I certainly will by tomorrow. The best way to learn is to teach, and I’m very lucky to have grown up in a smaller town like Devonport, where there is space and freedom to have a go.

You’re in Indiana to study at the Jacobs School of Music. How are you feeling? To be at one of the top jazz music programs in the world, where every student is not only talented but incred­ibly hardworking, is both thrilling and terrifying. When I explained to an Uber driver what I’m about to study, he could not believe it. He paused, and slowly turned around with an incredulous look on his face and asked, “An Australian who’s come to sing American jazz music?” and then turned back around and laughed for the rest of the drive home. The American perspective on foreigners coming in to sing their music had not occurred to me until then and it was pretty funny when he put it like that. The truth is, all contempo­rary music we listen to today has evolved out of genres created within the African American community, including gospel, blues, and jazz. It’s kind of crazy that a girl from Tasmania gets to study this music in the place where it originated, at a prestigious university that any American musician would be proud to attend.

Favourite tv show? BBC‘s Sherlock. I have rewatched it enough to recite the lines.

Secret vice? Netflix. Someone needs to delete my account and it’s not going to be me.

What are you reading now? I am currently listening to the audiobook version of Michelle Obama’s biogra­phy, and that’s about the extent of my American research.

What are your daily news/social media habits? In all transparency, my primary news source is my Dad. Shoutout to Craig!

Your favourite place for…

Breakfast: Born In Brunswick.

Lunch: Ja & Jon Banh Mi.

Dinner: Astor Grill.

Favourite team? Obviously the Indiana University Basketball team, the Hoosiers! (Yep that is what they’re called.)

Dream holiday destination? Anywhere I get to sing.

Favourite Tasmanian secret? Boronia Beach. My best friend and I used to walk around there from Kingston every time we needed to contemplate life’s big issues (probably a 1000 word uni essay).

Parting words? Despite the constant messaging that growing up on a small, isolated island like Tasmania puts us at a disadvantage, coming from Tasmania can actually be a superpower. Small places where you can be seen, heard, and supported by your community are fantastic launching pads for young people. I am who I am because of the incredible support from my family and all of my teachers who gave me so much more time and attention than was ever in their job description.