In Herzing University president Renée Herzing’s opinion, nothing—not even yoga—works better than listening to or playing music when trying to unwind after a long day.
When she’s not running the Menomonee Falls-based Herzing University system, which was founded by her parents in 1965, Herzing is singing and playing keytar in classic rock cover band “Hell on Heels.”
“It’s a great counterbalance,” Herzing said. “Nothing takes you somewhere else like music does. It changes your mood; it makes you think differently. I do yoga as well, but I’d say music is even a step up for relaxation.”
Herzing has been performing with Hell on Heels for the better part of two decades. When asked how she got involved with the band, she replied: “By falling in love with a guitar player.”
“He’s fantastic and should be a studio musician,” Herzing said of her husband of almost 20 years, Rene.
About 17 years ago, Rene was trying to put together a band in Milwaukee. Herzing, who had performed in musicals and sang for fun in the past, became the lead singer.
Though Herzing and her husband’s first names are spelled differently, they’re pronounced the same.
“We are Renée and Rene and we have a rock band together,” she laughed.
