Miranda Dyer, from recording audiobooks to performing in France

From August 29 to October 20, Miranda Dyer, SCAD HoneyBee, worked with no days off at the control of Savannah College of Art and Design. The difficult and mentally taxing schedule is only one of many challenges, but it is worth it for the outcome of being approached by viewers who have never been more thankful.  

 Miranda Dyer, 25-years-old, became a SCAD HoneyBee, a vocal performance group, in August of 2019. She has transitioned from being a student to being in the group as a full-time job. She graduated in August of 2022 with a Bachelors in performing arts and now has the official position of being an “ensemble performer” for SCAD. She has since moved to Atlanta, Georgia and just returned form performing with the group in Lacoste, France. 

“Being involved as an alumni is a pretty unique experience. It’s extremely time consuming. I like to say that we’re on call all the time,” says Dyer about her time in the group. “It can feel kind of like you have a lack of control at times, but then we put on these fantastic shows and it’s all worth it and I get to work with people I really enjoy. It’s really cool to know that we are this flagship group that’s never before been done.”  

 The SCAD HoneyBees are a group of alumni that have been employed by the university after taking part in their school performance ensemble. This group has faced many challenges as they were created in August of 2022 and immediately started performing. The rehearsal schedule requires them to be available from 8:30a.m.-5:30p.m. Monday through Friday, through they often stay late, even to midnight and are to be on call Saturday and Sunday. Contractually, the job is to represent SCAD and encourage students to choose the university for their future. She is also responsible for continuing to find her style of singing and be available for events whenever needed.  

 “We had 19 performances this past October,” she recalls from her time of being a student HoneyBee. “It was kept in mind to some degree that we were students, so they didn’t have full control over our time because we also had to maintain a 3.5 GPA. It was very stressful then, but I think now as an employee and personal finances coming into play, there are kind of logistical things that I don’t know if any of us foresaw.”  

 Dyer began singing since she was first able to. She grew up in Tennessee and recalls loving to perform “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” by Reba McEntire to anyone that would listen. She knew that she would be singing for the rest of her life when she was 7-years-old and emailed the director of the Celtic Women asking to please save her a spot once she graduated. From that moment on, she was always in the school choirs which led her to go to SCAD, specifically with the purpose of striving to be in the HoneyBees.  

 As for a future in performing, Dyer strives to have a successful and impactful year with the SCAD HoneyBees and then wants to get busy working with acting. She would love to work with SCAD in the future, but instead as a director or manager in the performing arts department.  

Photo from SCADhoneybees on Instagram.

 Apart from the HoneyBees, Dyer is also an audiobook narrator. In October 2021, she started recording a romance book by Kandi Steiner. Her most recent project was working on Blind Side, but she has also worked on the entire Palm South University Series. After success with Blind Side, the rest of the Red Zone Rivals series will become audiobooks, narrated by Dyer. 

 For the year, Dyer will continue to work on her upcoming audiobook narrations and rehearse with the SCAD HoneyBees. All, very looked forward to.  

 “It sounds like a lot and it is a lot, and it’s definitely stressful, but at the end of the day I’m really excited to be here and I think like it really does get better each day. The people that I get to work with now, that I never saw behind closed doors before, are really talented individuals,” Dyer said. “There’s just kind of an overall vibe of positivity that I really appreciate, and it’s nice because it feels pretty welcoming as somebody who is new to this.”