Golden Educational Consulting was created to guide families through the college search while also promoting the mental health and wellbeing of their students. When we add to our team of college admissions experts and essay writing coaches, one of the most important aspects we seek, in addition to a deep expertise in university admissions offices, is a true heart for teaching and coaching young people to achieve their highest aspirations.
GEC is proud to announce a partnership with Legato College Consulting to provide a “health-first” approach to college coaching for aspiring young artists pursuing degrees in the fine and performing arts. As part of this partnership, we are excited to welcome Kate Bittner, Legato’s founder, to the already impressive GEC team.
Legato College Consulting provides tailored guidance throughout the music performance, theater, and fine arts college search, from selecting the right university and conservatory programs, to completing applications, all the way through the extensive auditioning process. The term legato is an Italian word meaning “tied together” and refers to an interconnected musical style that flows smoothly and without gaps: a perfect metaphor for how Kate approaches her work with students.
What I am most excited about is that not only does Kate have an impressive arts background, but she also demonstrates a tremendous amount of care for the students she serves. She greatly values her own music degree and the guidance, support, and leadership she received from mentors that are now her dear friends. I know she will become that kind of mentor for the students she will serve as an independent educational consultant on our team.
“What drew me to partnering with Golden Educational Consulting was the heavy emphasis on protecting the student’s mental health throughout what can be a stressful process! For aspiring musicians, the stress is compounded by supplemental music applications and a hectic audition season. They must also take really great care of their bodies in order to continue making their music for the long run. By making mental and physical health a priority, together, we can help students feel confident, calm, and collected to put their best artistry forward!”
Kate celebrates when her students nail their auditions and find a great fit school with an awesome private lesson teacher that they click with. “Music students often have to consider more factors in their college search, like performance opportunities, who their private teacher will be, and support in crafting a musical career after graduation. When they find all of that in one place, we all feel that sense of pride.”
Kate brings over a decade of fine arts administrative experience, including time at the Aspen Music Festival, The Phoenix Symphony, and Interlochen Arts Academy. Eight of these years were spent in fine arts recruitment at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin as the Director of Conservatory Admissions. She also consults for university admissions offices, fine-tuning their recruitment strategies for the fine and performing arts.
Kate’s passion is to serve as a guiding hand for students who love music and the arts as much as she does, and to educate the world about the extraordinary value in obtaining an arts degree in college.
Kate holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music. Originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, Kate is always a Midwesterner at heart. You’ll find her enjoying the outdoors, rockhounding, cheering on the Green Bay Packers, singing with a women’s barbershop chorus, and enjoying a good sci-fi show. She currently lives in Mesa, Arizona with her husband and two kitties.
I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Kate to the Golden Educational Consulting family and can’t wait to introduce our community to her.
-Dr. Thom
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