Spartan Profiles: Maureen McElheron

OSCAR NOMINEE

            In 1988, she attended Hollywood's annual Academy Awards, sat behind Charlton Heston, and partied with the likes of Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson. But Maureen McElheron, '73, had something those stars did not - an Oscar nomination (for best short animated feature). McElheron composed the music for Your Face (1988), by MTV animator Bill Plympton. 'That was a shock to us,' she recalls. 'But it was so much fun.' 

            Maureen and Plympton also teamed up for feature film The Tune (1993), which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Maureen's music is eclectic and hilarious, with parodies of Elvis, Fats Waller, country music, blues and even tango. 'Bill and I share the same sensitivities in music,' she explains. 'We both like the acoustic sound, a retro feel, rather than synthesizers.'

            A native of East Lansing, she grew up surrounded by three generations of musicians in her family, including four sisters and a brother. 'Any success I have was because of all these influences growing up,' she recounts.

             She began at MSU with James Madison College, which 'I loved because I had many friends and knew all my professors.' But Maureen moved on to theatre and education, and performed at The Albatross coffee house. Shortly after graduation, she moved to New York, where she now teaches vocational training and music/theatre to developmentally challenged teens for the N.Y.C. Board of Education.

            Maureen's album/workbook I Am Special (Addison Wesley) includes ten original songs that combine skill-building activities with music. 'When I finish teaching for the day I usually head over to Bill Plympton's animation studio,' she recounts about her dual career.