While some students may fear singing in front of crowds, freshman Ileana See steps up to perform in the high school choir. Since See has been in choir for a total of three years, stage fright, butterflies and weak legs do not inhibit her performance.
As a young girl in elementary school, singing with her grandmother was her favorite pastime. When her grandmother died, See continued singing and decided to join choir. Her familial support has continued through her mother Melanie, who attends every performance.
“I started singing with my grandma when I was really little,” See said. “But when she died, I kept singing. I love it. My mom comes to all my performances and makes sure I have everything, like my dress.”
However, now that See is in high school choir, performance expectations have increased, according to music director Michael Ogdon.
“I want her to try out things outside her comfort zone,” Ogdon said. “I want her to increase her ability in singing, to learn how to make her voice go high and low and how to blend the tones together. I want her to learn that what she does is powerful, that people can respond to what she sings. It’s really important that she knows that.”
In addition, choir requires See to analyze and interpret the songs she sings in order to better understand the words and improve her performance. See says that some of the song studies, along with the Bible portion of the class, have helped to develop her faith.
“We do a lot of Bible stuff in choir, so all of that helps and applies,” See said. “We learn from analyzing the songs — the words and what they mean. We talk about it and relate it to our lives. We also learned that since singing is a way to worship, we spread the gospel to everyone that hears.”
Though choir entails work and dedication, See claims that it also offers a chance to strengthen relationships and serves as an enjoyable elective.
“It’s not just strictly singing songs all day and not being allowed to talk,” See said. “We are allowed to talk and we have a lot of fun. We get to miss school for performances sometimes, too. Some of my favorite memories are all of our inside jokes we share.”
In line with See, Ogdon says that choir offers a fun experience for singers.
“My favorite part is making fun of students,” Ogdon said. “I enjoy people, and because I like people, it’s fun to have fun with people. And choir is just a social animal. Ileana is a great addition to our group, and it’s a lot of fun to be around her. We get to hang out and do stuff together.”
While some students may take the course for fun, See dedicates her time in it to improve her singing.
“I take choir seriously,” See said. “I don’t take it as joke. It’s always been like a big dream of mine to be a singer, but I don’t think it will happen, because that chance rarely comes in a person’s life. Everything we learn in choir I try to apply to my singing and my life.”
Freshman Aliciana Quintana, who has sung in choir previously with See, recognizes the growth of her musical talent.
“I think she has definitely grown in her singing: she is more confident,” Quintana said. “I have fun singing with her, and we have gotten closer. We were friends before, but never really talked much. Now, we talk all the time.”
Over the course of her high school years, Ogdon hopes that See will progress in her passion for choir and recognize her own talent.
“I hope she will realize how good she’s getting,” Ogdon said. “I hope that she won’t just sing in choir but apply choir to bigger things — better things, star things.”
As she continues to sing, See often remembers her grandma who first encouraged her to explore her passion.
“I was really little when she died, but I can remember having tons of fun with her,” See said. “She taught me that singing isn’t just hymns in church, but that I can have fun with it too.”
For more information on choir, watch Choir at FPU Choral Festival (VIDEO) and read the Oct. 27 article, Choir to attend Westmont festival. For more choir profiles, read the Dec. 18, 2009 article, Senior vocalist examines director aspiration.
Alexandra Barisic • Sep 7, 2011 at 12:02 am
Mrs.Dooley, I am excited that I get to TA for you now!