About Me

Starr Desmond


Educator / Performer / Choreographer

 

Starr Desmond is a vibrant and multifaceted artist based in East Boston, Massachusetts, whose journey through music, dance, and education has shaped her into a dynamic force in both the arts and the classroom. A performer, choreographer, and licensed music educator, Starr brings a lifelong passion for creative expression to everything she does.

 

Her love for the arts began at just four years old, when she began studying dance at Eleanor Rubino’s Academy of Performing Arts (now Jessica Gordon’s Academy of Performing Arts). Around the same time, she became a student at ZUMIX, a nonprofit organization committed to empowering youth through music and the arts. There, Starr studied private piano from the age of six and voice by age eight, while also engaging in ensemble classes that nurtured her growing love for performance and songwriting. ZUMIX later connected her to the Berklee City Music Program, a pivotal step that launched her formal musical training.

 

In 2014, Starr was awarded a scholarship and attended Berklee College of Music’s prestigious Five-Week Summer Program, and in 2015, she was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee full-time. She graduated cum laude in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Songwriting. While at Berklee, she taught and mentored younger students through the Berklee City Music Mentoring Program, earning the Berklee Urban Service Award (BUSA) in 2017 for her commitment to community-based arts education. Starr also taught private lessons in voice, piano, and songwriting, and helped establish On The Vox, Berklee’s acclaimed co-ed a cappella group, where she served as Director of Choreography. Her choreography earned national recognition, including the Outstanding Choreography award from Varsity Vocals at the 2020 ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella).

 

Continuing her academic journey, Starr earned her Master’s Degree in Music Education from Boston University in 2022, graduating summa cum laude and earning induction into the Tri-Alpha National Honor Society, a distinction for first-generation college graduates. That same year, she became a licensed educator in Massachusetts and joined Boston Public Schools as a music teacher, where she now leads classrooms with empathy, artistry, and purpose. Her work in public education is deeply informed by her own experiences as a young artist growing up in Boston, and she is committed to creating equitable, empowering spaces for the next generation of musicians. Since 2018, Starr has also remained rooted in the dance world, teaching and choreographing at Jessica Gordon’s Academy of Performing Arts. Whether on stage or in the classroom, Starr Desmond continues to inspire through her artistry, authenticity, and unshakable belief in the transformative power of the arts.