Act II

In the early 1970s, Veronica Tyler shifted her focus from performing to teaching and inspiring the next generation of opera singers—particularly those from minority communities. She held positions at the University of Florida, University of Missouri, Morgan State University, Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Rhode Island. Tyler was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) by the College of Notre Dame of Maryland for her extraordinary work as an opera singer and educator. Pictured above is a hand drawn flyer for an opera performance given by students of Tyler's.

Here, too, she faced many levels of challenges, from the fight for fair pay to the fight for creating space for Black and minority students. Her family recalls that these fights only fueled her passion and drive for teaching. Always politically informed and opinionated, she saw herself as someone who had the opportunity to "open the doors" and "create the spaces" that she wanted as a student, and she was "very invested" in doing so. 

Tyler was also often characterized by a desire to help other people. To use her talent and achievements to create space for the generations of musicians who would come after her. During her daughter, Adriane’s, time at Morgan State University, Tyler became friends with the Music department chair. This opened the door for her to start teaching when the department chair invited her to teach Master Classes to the students. Tyler took to this new direction of teaching with determination. She helped direct student productions, taught master classes, and served as a mentor figure for students in the musical programs. She commonly held the position of Associate Professor, where she used her wealth of musical and industry knowledge to help guide students and aspiring musicians through the beginning stages of their careers.

Faith and spirituality were important to Veronica Tyler; they underscored everything that she did in both her life and career. “Everything I do, I do for God” is the phrase that her family believes embodied Tyler's approach to her career and life. Tyler's faith informed her desire to give back to her community. In addition to mentoring students during this time, she also continued to give back to the Baltimore community through vocal workshops hosted at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center. She also continued to perform at Eubie Blake during this period, and was involved in smaller amateur theater productions which were performed for the community.