A native of Washington D.C., Stephen L. Crawford, founder, Life Coach and Reiki Master of The Spirited Heart, grew up in a rich musical environment. Stephen attended The Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, CT where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music/Conducting/Voice. During his college years he established himself in the area as a soloist and choral conductor both in churches and local organizations. Upon completion of his degree, he was hired for a newly established position in a Jr./Sr. high school in Collinsville, CT where he developed an entire vocal and choral program for grades 7-12, striving for excellence and variety. As a result, his ensembles and soloists won many awards and honors on local, regional and national competitions. Throughout his career, Stephen pursued a variety of musical venues. As a choral/vocal educator, he worked with such illustrious conductors as Aaron Copland, Seiji Ozawa, Claudio Abbado, Robert Shaw and Leonard Bernstein. He was also in demand as a choral clinician, adjudicator and conductor in All State and regional festivals. In addition to his role as a choral conductor, he was well known as a conductor and musical director for musical theater, opera and oratorio. Stephen's solo experiences include various roles in opera, oratorio, musical theater and was also well known as a recitalist throughout the New England region.        Stephen opened his private vocal studio in Connecticut in 1982 and in Manhattan in 2001 and joined the faculty of The Hartt School of Music Community Division in 1986. At the Hartt School in 1993, he was one of the developers of The Hartt Summer Vocal Institute for Youth, a program for high school students which offers master classes, guest artists, staging and musical rehearsals, movement classes, voice lessons and workshops culminating in a scenes program, fully staged and costumed. He has since served as musical director, voice teacher, master class and workshop leader and conductor. Stephen has studied voice with William Diard, Samuel Gordon, Peter Harvey and Nancy Stokes-Milnes. In addition, he has coached with Joan Dornemann and Nico Castel from The Metropolitan Opera. In 1995, Stephen began a supplementary program to his vocal studio, a Guest Artist program to give master classes for his students. He has engaged such artists as Nancy Stokes-Milnes, Alan Held, Dan Gettinger, Liz Caplan, Marni Nixon, Nico and Carol Castel and Joan Dornemann. His students have entered the top music schools in the US, are involved in local and regional opera companies as well as churches and theatrical organizations and have been awarded top prizes in NATS competitions. He is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and New York Singing Teachers Association (NYSTA), and was the Regional Governor for the Northeast for The National Opera Association( NOA ). He has worked for American Singers Opera Project (ASOP), a training program for professional singers in New York City founded by Nancy Stokes-Milnes.  He is past president of the Central-Northern Arizona chapter of The National Association of Teachers of Singing. In addition, Stephen is co-author with Nancy Stokes-Milnes of "The Vocal Journey: From First Lesson to Professional Debut", a handbook for singers and teachers, soon to be published. Stephen moved to Arizona in September 2002. He had felt a draw to the Arizona area after several visits over the previous years. The energy of the desert and its environment seemed to pull him there for a reason - healing, both personal and for others. His healing arts training has been at The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, AZ where he received his certification in Reiki and in Transformational Life Coaching. He studies privately with Deborah Dickinson as a Reiki Master teacher. His studies in the healing arts is always ongoing, due to his strong desire to serve, heal the planet and thus mankind.