News: March 6, 2026
Greetings!
My name is Loneka Wilkinson Battiste, and I am the new Director of Music and Arts. My son, Levi, and I are very excited to be joining the First Unitarian Universalist of Houston family. I will take this opportunity to share a little about me and my vision for music and arts at First UU.
A Little About Us
I am a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but I have lived in New Orleans, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, and now Texas. I have loved music for as long as I can remember, and began piano lessons at the age of 5. Choir participation followed soon after, and I participated in school, church, and community choirs from elementary through high school. I attended Dillard University in New Orleans and studied Music Education, then received a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma. I taught at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, from 2002 to 2005, but decided I wanted to work with children before they reached the university level. So, I took a position at Southern University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge and stayed there for 4 years. Then I left to pursue my PhD in Music Education at Louisiana State University. Afterward, I took a position at the University of Tennessee, where I stayed for 9 years until moving to the Houston area in Fall 2024. I now serve as Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Houston.
Throughout my time in Mississippi and Louisiana, I served as Assistant Minister of Music at Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church. This position involved working with the Cherubim and Youth/Young Adult choirs. I also worked on several productions with New Venture Theatre, a prominent theatre in Baton Rouge that produced high-quality musical productions. I co-created a summer program to develop children in voice, dance, piano, and theatre, which ran for 3 summers. Upon moving to Tennessee, I worked at the Metropolitan Community Church of Knoxville, planning worship music and leading the choir.
Levi came along in 2018 and has been an attention-stealer from the start. He loves to draw, play basketball and soccer, and make new friends. He is an honor student who is energetic and outgoing, so you may have already seen him bouncing around the church. He is as excited as I am to be here, and we both look forward to growing with you.
Join Us!
I invite you to join the choir! I am impressed by the work that has been done and the diverse musical talents that abound here. I am continuing to learn about the history of music and arts here, and I am incorporating feedback from the choir to determine our path going forward. Together, we are working to build a vision for the future of music and arts at First UU and invite you to join in the process. We will have a meet-and-greet on April 12 at 10:45 AM in the Choir Room. Even if you feel you cannot hold a tune in a bucket, we want to see you there. Join us as we do our part to widen love’s circle.
With Love,
Loneka Wilkinson Battiste, Ph. D.
My name is Loneka Wilkinson Battiste, and I am the new Director of Music and Arts. My son, Levi, and I are very excited to be joining the First Unitarian Universalist of Houston family. I will take this opportunity to share a little about me and my vision for music and arts at First UU.
A Little About Us
I am a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but I have lived in New Orleans, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, and now Texas. I have loved music for as long as I can remember, and began piano lessons at the age of 5. Choir participation followed soon after, and I participated in school, church, and community choirs from elementary through high school. I attended Dillard University in New Orleans and studied Music Education, then received a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma. I taught at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, from 2002 to 2005, but decided I wanted to work with children before they reached the university level. So, I took a position at Southern University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge and stayed there for 4 years. Then I left to pursue my PhD in Music Education at Louisiana State University. Afterward, I took a position at the University of Tennessee, where I stayed for 9 years until moving to the Houston area in Fall 2024. I now serve as Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Houston.
Throughout my time in Mississippi and Louisiana, I served as Assistant Minister of Music at Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church. This position involved working with the Cherubim and Youth/Young Adult choirs. I also worked on several productions with New Venture Theatre, a prominent theatre in Baton Rouge that produced high-quality musical productions. I co-created a summer program to develop children in voice, dance, piano, and theatre, which ran for 3 summers. Upon moving to Tennessee, I worked at the Metropolitan Community Church of Knoxville, planning worship music and leading the choir.
Levi came along in 2018 and has been an attention-stealer from the start. He loves to draw, play basketball and soccer, and make new friends. He is an honor student who is energetic and outgoing, so you may have already seen him bouncing around the church. He is as excited as I am to be here, and we both look forward to growing with you.
Join Us!
I invite you to join the choir! I am impressed by the work that has been done and the diverse musical talents that abound here. I am continuing to learn about the history of music and arts here, and I am incorporating feedback from the choir to determine our path going forward. Together, we are working to build a vision for the future of music and arts at First UU and invite you to join in the process. We will have a meet-and-greet on April 12 at 10:45 AM in the Choir Room. Even if you feel you cannot hold a tune in a bucket, we want to see you there. Join us as we do our part to widen love’s circle.
With Love,
Loneka Wilkinson Battiste, Ph. D.
