Liz Parks has spent her career writing about music and the people who make it. Growing up, she played piano and flute before shifting her focus into another artistic pursuit: writing. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, she moved to Nashville, where she worked at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) for seven years, ultimately serving as director of editorial. During her tenure at BMI, Liz also earned her M.A. in English literature from Belmont University. Then, she moved on to freelance writing, specializing in artist bios commissioned by record labels, publicists, and the musicians themselves. Over the last decade, she has written official bios for a broad range of performers, including blues legend Taj Mahal, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Chris Hillman, comedian Taylor Tomlinson, and Hootie and the Blowfish, as well as Hayes Carll, Trampled by Turtles, Lori McKenna, John Moreland, Sam Bush, Molly Tuttle, The Earls of Leicester, Deer Tick, Old Crow Medicine Show founder and frontman Ketch Secor, and many more. Today, Liz continues to write bios, and contributes to various publications including the Houston Chronicle, The Bluegrass Situation, and Houstonia.

At Bojangles, Liz teaches introductory ukulele, piano, and general music appreciation to our youngest students, aged 4 to 7 years old. She also handles all scheduling and general daily operations for the school.

In one-on-one lessons with Liz, the kids begin to read music, make connections between instruments, develop fine motor skills, and grasp basic concepts including rhythm, pitch, tone, and tempo. When they’re ready, students graduate from lessons with Liz to one-on-one instruction with Bojangles’ more advanced instructors.

“Music is a natural way to gain confidence––not just by wowing everyone in a performance, but in the small victories no one else really knows about, like building strength, mastering a chord, or finishing a song that once felt out of reach,” Liz says. “We introduce a lot of key music ideas in these early lessons, but I think the two most important things we work on are individual empowerment and embracing playfulness. We laugh a lot.”