Spiritual, Academic Professional: Where The Voice’s Sarah Simmons Studies

If you’ve been dialed into NBC’s The Voice this season, you’ll know that Sarah Simmons was eliminated after making it to the Top Eight. You probably also know that Adam Levine (and likely a few thousand other people) weren’t too happy about it. What you might not know is what Sarah put on hold to pursue […]

If you’ve been dialed into NBC’s The Voice this season, you’ll know that Sarah Simmons was eliminated after making it to the Top Eight. You probably also know that Adam Levine (and likely a few thousand other people) weren’t too happy about it. What you might not know is what Sarah put on hold to pursue this opportunity – she is a student at Visible Music College in Memphis, Tenn., an accredited Christian music college.

Visible Music College is a unique academic institution in the world, combining three tenets – spiritual, professional and academic – to train and equip leaders in the church and the music industry. While the college’s most famous student may be Sarah (whose powerhouse vocal prowess and incredible run on The Voice should be proof enough of the level of talent the college aims to find and mold), there is much more to the Visible story. Start with its founder and president, Ken Steorts – whose encouragement Sarah credits as key in her path to the Top Eight – who you might know as the founding guitarist of popular Christian rock band Skillet.

And there’s still more: This summer, as it does each year, the college put a student band on the road for a U.S. tour, with only a student tour manager and the knowledge they’ve gained in the classroom to help them through it. (That band is called Lights Align.) The focus is on real experience, hands-on learning. Students work at the college-owned record label, Madison Line Records. Students run live sound for events, manage bands, handle PR and marketing. They even book a Memphis venue that is owned by the school but managed and promoted entirely by students.


This fall the college will open its second campus, in Chicagoland. This will be a fully functioning second location, with locally based expert faculty and an already growing class of students ready to enroll in the fall.

There is no other college putting an equal emphasis on faith and professional and academic achievement – this is not just a Bible college. This is a rigorous and intense education in music, music industry and the real world, with a foundation of faith. This is something different.

You can read about the history of the college here, and read stories of more Visible alumni on the Visible blog.

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