Singer was a musical prodigy, making her debut as a cellist with the Oregon Symphony at thirteen, and was subsequently accepted to the Juilliard School, where she became the institution's youngest graduate.

She was cast as Julie Miller, a teenage dancer and cellist, in the television series Fame, in which she appeared between 1982 and 1983.

Singer gained notice for her lead role as Ariel Moore in the musical drama film Footloose (1984).

[2][3] At the time of her birth, Singer's father was working as the conductor of the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra.

[5] Singer spent her formative years in Portland, and made her debut as soloist at the age of thirteen with the Oregon Symphony.

"[1] In 1982, Singer was cast as Julie Miller, a shy high school student, in the television series Fame, and appeared in the first two seasons.

In 1997, Singer acted in the fourth episode of the series Inspired by Bach, where she also played the cello with Yo-Yo Ma, whose summer music camp she had attended in 1971.

Singer performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in January 2008, premiering a hymn written by Karl Jenkins in memory of Martin Luther King Jr.[9] In May 2011, Singer returned to television with a guest-starring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

In 2013, Singer executive produced with Sheila Nevins, HBO, and Jessica Kingdon the documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, directed by Alex Gibney.