Singer Jon Secada Is Visiting Music Professor
Grammy Award Winner Signs On At Local College
Alex Alvarez, Digital Correspondent
MIAMI -- He's a three-time Grammy-award winning artist who is returning to his roots as a music teacher.
Singer Jon Secada was in South Florida on Friday, signing a visiting professor contract with Miami-Dade College.
"I was a teacher for a long time and anything I can do as an artist to help public education, I want to do," said Jon Secada at a news conference held at Miami-Dade College Kendall campus.
Secada is no stranger to Miami Dade College -- having taught voice and humanities at the North Campus from 1986-1991.
Secada said he's excited about returning to the classroom.
"I think the arts matter and that’s why I'm here," said Secada.
"I think the benefit will be that the community will know that there's a place for musicians to go to develop your arts curriculum," he added.
Secada will also conduct master classes and workshops in the areas of music business, voice, sound recording, song writing, jazz, pop ensembles and musical theater.
When he's not teaching, Secada will be jet-setting to South America where he's working on a television show.
"I've been very very fortunate and lucky. On Monday I'm going back to Argentina to be a judge on Latin American 'American Idol' and I've got two CDs coming out," said Secada.
Secada legally changed his first name from Juan in 1990. He immigrated to the U.S. at the age of nine in 1971, settling in Miami with his parents.
He became involved in Gloria Estefan's career and co-wrote six songs on her multiplatinum 1991 album "Into the Light," among them the number one hit "Coming out of the Dark," and sang backup vocals on her subsequent tour.
After signing to SBK Records, he launched his own career with a self-titled debut record in 1992. With only one album, he became one of the biggest adult contemporary artist of the '90s, selling over six million albums worldwide, according to VH1.com.
Digital Correspondent Alex Alvarez spoke to Secada for LATV, which airs locally on digital cable channel 10.2.
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