About Michelle May

Michelle May is a professional musician (violin and flute), a coach for creative professionals and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) residing in Detroit, MI, where she was born and raised.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Language Arts (Elementary Education) with a minor in music from Marygrove College (Detroit, MI) and a Master’s in Counseling and Post-Master’s work in Instructional Technology from Wayne State University (Detroit, MI).  She has a Certificate in Music Recording Technology from Schoolcraft College.

Music

Michelle is the founder, manager and bandleader of Musique Noire, a women-led strings and percussion ensemble performing world jazz music. She is the Executive Producer of the ensemble’s four CD releases and two music films. She has performed on stage and on recordings with numerous high-profile, Grammy-award winning musicians, such as Samara Joy (opening with Musique Noire for her 2023 Detroit Shows), Stevie Wonder (performing in the string orchestra on both his Songs in the Key of Life and Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart tours), Aretha Franklin (on stage and as string contractor), Donnie McClurkin (recording), Richard Smallwood (recording) and KEM (recording) and Motown string arranger Paul Riser (recording) to name but a few. Michelle has made numerous appearances at festivals and concert halls including the Detroit International Jazz Festival, Orchestra Hall in Detroit, Detroit’s Concert of Colors, the Chicago (IL) String Summit, Arts Beats and Eats (MI), Friday Night Live at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit River Days and Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, MI, to name but a few. Michelle is a 2018 Kresge Artist Fellow, a program of Kresge Arts in Detroit, sponsored by the Kresge Foundation. She is a 20-year plus member of The Recording Academy, which annually produces the GRAMMY Awards. She is a 30-year member of the Detroit Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 5. Michelle founded, produces and directs “Concerts in Boston-Edison”, and “Concerts in Indian Village” which has presented house concerts in these historic Detroit neighborhood since 2011 and 2021 respectively. Michelle has produced several music series at local coffee houses (The Congregation Detroit and In Harmony Cafe) and for organizations (The Detroit Black Community Food Sovereinty Network).

Coaching

As a coach for upcoming and seasoned professional creatives, Michelle has worked with private clients, the Detroit Public Schools, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, Marygrove College, Chamber Music America, Kresge Arts in Detroit and the Sphinx Organization.

Counseling

Michelle has worked in mental health since 1988, beginning with working at Adult Learning Systems, an organization committed to mainstreaming adults with physical challenges and mental illness.  Michelle also served on the Board of Adult Learning Systems. In 1996, Michelle and her sister, psychologist Dr. Angela May, co-founded A.M. May & Associates, Inc. a counseling and consulting firm in Detroit.  Michelle was a counselor in higher education from 1991 to 2021, working at both Wayne State University and Oakland Community College (Oakland County, MI). 

Public Speaking and Advocacy

Michelle has presented numerous workshops on higher education topics, stress management, time management, diversity, self-esteem and motivation.  At Oakland Community College, she was responsible for developing and presenting workshops related to community health and wellness, including founding and facilitating an on-campus women’s group known as “Celebrating Sisterhood”.  

Michelle is a passionate advocate of women, Black people and the issue of diversity in the arts and is often called upon to lend her voice to these causes as a blogger, speaker and panelist. She has written blogs for Shar Music Company, the PBS series “Family Pictures USA” (also appearing on camera), has been quoted in the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, has been on panels for mental health organizations and an invited speaker and consultant for the Sphinx Organization’s “SphinxConnect” annual convening. Michelle was invited to curate two episodes of the PBS series “Detroit Performs”.

Michelle is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development and a former member of the American College Counseling Association, where she served on the Community College Counseling Taskforce.  She is a past board member of the Centers of Wellness for Urban Women, based in Indianapolis, Indiana.  She is a past Board member and President of the Michigan College Personnel Association, a Division of the American College Personnel Association.  She is a past Board member of the Marygrove College Alumni Association, serving as its Vice-President and a past Board member of the Historic Boston-Edison neighborhood association. Michelle is a current Advisory Board member for the Charles W. Reid Community Help Center, the Black Legacy Advancement Coalition and the Obsidian Theatre Festival, and a Board Member of The Cranbrook Project.