Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Katie Norregaard
Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Tumultuous 2020 Oral History project
Interview # T20-A-L-2022-010
Katie Norregaard, musician and owner of Miss Katie Sings, LLC., was interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Tumultuous 2020 Oral History project.
Interview dates & location:
Date: February 5, 2022
Location: Norregaard Apartment, Chicago, Illinois
Interview Format: Digital audio
Interviewer: Amanda Riggenbach, project manager Tumultuous 2020
Total Time: 2:18 / 2.3 hrs.
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on April 18, 2022.
The interview is archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2021 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Katie Norregaard, Tumultuous 2020, T20-A-L-2022-010
Biographical Information/Overview of Interview: Katie Norregaard was born and raised in Wheaton, Illinois. Her mother, a Taiwanese immigrant, and her father, a New York City native, met at Wheaton College while pursuing graduate degrees. Upon graduating, they chose to stay in Wheaton and raise their family. Norregaard was always musically inclined and upon her graduation from Wheaton High School in 2008, she attended Moody Bible Institute with the ultimate goal of becoming a filmmaker. When she graduated, she remained active in the music scene of Chicago, but also began a career in refugee resettlement. During her tenure, the need for Arabic speaking aid workers became clear to Norregaard and lead her to begin an intensive language program in Amman, Jordan. She originally intended to stay for two months, but after finding success learning Arabic, Norregaard ended up staying for two years.
Upon her return to the United States, Norregaard restarted her YouTube channel. Her channel provided a variety of music opportunities, such as performing at weddings as well as recording classes for Fender Music Corp. She also became involved in the stand-up comedy scene in Chicago. Later, Norregaard began teaching for the Old Town School of Folk Music as a pre-school music teacher. In March of 2020, Norregaard accepted a job as a project manager for a Chicago-based design company in pursuit of a nine to five career. When the state mandated shutdown closed the Old Town School of Folk Music’s in-person classes and put her new job on hold, Norregaard created a new YouTube channel and posted a twenty-minute music lesson. The video received hundreds of thousands of views and the response was encouraging. Norregaard began posting children’s music more regularly. She eventually started Miss Katie Sings where she offers music classes to young children in a virtual capacity. Due to the pandemic, Miss Katie Sings became wildly popular and Norregaard was able to focus on her business full time. Miss Katie Sings became an LLC in September of 2020.
Subject Headings/Key Words: children’s music; Mister Rogers; Miss Katie Sings LLC; social justice; Wheaton, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; online learning; virtual learning; online music lessons; COVID-19 pandemic; COVID-19; pandemic; coronavirus
Notes to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
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