She’s Always Had a Song in Her Heart

Tabitha Modrell, an FMU senior from Oates, South Carolina, has always had a passion for music. 

She was born into a musical family – both her father and brother have degrees in music – and began playing music and singing at an early age. She has a lovely voice and plays piano, acoustic guitar, and a number of percussion instruments.

She’s also written more than 100 songs.

The past four years, she’s honed her interests and abilities in FMU’s highly regarded Music Industry program. Students in the Music Industry program perform, write, and study music. They also immerse themselves in the production side of the business.

That’s exactly what Modrell was looking for when she began looking at colleges. Luckily for her, she found it in her backyard (Oates is in western Darlington County, less than a 30-minute drive from FMU.).

Modrell says she was attracted to FMU’s program because of its state-of-the-art recording studio, the small class sizes which naturally lend themselves to strong relationships between students and professors, the hands-on learning opportunities she knew she would get to participate in, and the beautiful education wing of the FMU Performing Arts Center in downtown Florence where the majority of her music industry courses have been based. 

The music industry major has allowed Modrell to learn more about the industry side of music and prepared her for the future. Though her coursework has focused on industry practice, music technology, and recording, she has also received the classical foundation in theory. As someone who began writing her own songs at only seven years old, classical training was important to her. Modrell says her abilities in that area are just a gift.

“My process of songwriting is hard to explain, yet it’s simple,” says Modrell. “Sometimes, I’ll read a book and the storyline will inspire lyrics and a tune. Other times, I’ll just hear it in my mind and sit down to write it whether I’m at home or in the food court at the local mall. I just love that music tells a story. Whether it’s a song about Jesus or a love song, there’s a story to be told through music and I’m just thankful that I’m able to tell those stories through song.”

Modrell’s songs include a commissioned ‘first dance’ song and a piece entitled “Vibes” that was selected for FMU’s own Music Industry compilation, available on Spotify. She wrote “Vibes” when she was 14. 

Modrell is writing her own story at FMU.

She is very involved and has been all of her four years as a student at FMU.

She is a member of the pop/rock Music Industry Ensemble, works as a stagehand at the FMU Performing Arts Center, and is a recording engineer at the FMU Recording Studio. She was a mentor in the Patriot Mentor Program, and is active in FMU’s Baptist Collegiate Ministries. She spent the Fall 2023 semester studying abroad at De Montfort University in England. 

“I am so glad I took the opportunity to study abroad,” says Modrell. “Taking classes in music production in England and being able to experience another part of the world was such an enriching experience that I will hold close the rest of my life.”

Modrell shared a flat with students from Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany. The flatmates have kept up and have a three-week road trip planned across the U.S. in September. 

Modrell says what she loves most about her classroom experiences at FMU are the interactions she’s had with faculty. She says the faculty have all been intentional about working with the students on their goals for the future, and not just getting them through the class. That’s been true in her major, but also in the general education courses every student takes such as English.

Modrell points to Dr. Brandon Goff and Dr. Paolo Gualdi in the Music Industry program for the impact they had on her career. Gualdi, for example, encouraged Modrell to begin teaching, and has taught her better ways to explain concepts and skills to her own students. 

Modrell took Gualdi’s advice to heart. She opened her own music studio, The Florence Music Academy, last spring. She had given a few piano lessons prior to that, but saw a significant increase when she opened a formal studio.

Modrell now has more than 30 students who take lessons in piano, drums, guitar, and voice each week. She’s also hired several instructors who teach alongside her. Most are  FMU graduates.

Modrell plans to continue growing The Florence Music Academy after she graduates. She’ll use it to make a living while she focuses on songwriting.