Wednesday, March 7, 2001
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Wednesday, March 7, 2001 |
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Local choral student going to national convention For the first time in at least 10 years, a choral student from the Fayette County School System has been selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association national convention. Rising Starr student Katie Culp, an eighth-grader, has received the honor of performing at the March 14-17 convention in San Antonio. Culp will sing in concert along with other choral students from throughout the United States. In order to audition for the event, Culp had to submit a tape of herself singing several songs as well as acappella scales from a low to high range. Five students from the school submitted audition tapes. Culp was the only student selected from the entire county. "It was incredible when I found out I had been selected," Culp says. "I was extremely happy. It is hard to put into words." Culp, who has been singing all of her life, has made the cut for All State Chorus for the last two years. In the seventh grade, she scored an 11, meaning she only made one mistake in her performance. This year, Culp scored a perfect 10. "Katie has just been a very outstanding choral student," comments Jan Whalen, choral teacher at Rising Starr. "I knew when she stepped into my class for the first time in sixth grade that she had an incredible talent. It was not a surprise to me that she was selected for ACDA." In order for Culp to continue to hone her musical skills, she says she practices every day while taking private voice lessons. She is also learning how to play the piano and guitar. While she likes to listen to all types of music, Culp says she enjoys singing classical and country songs. Someday Culp hopes to pursue a musical career, but for now she is basking in the honor of being selected to perform at the ACDA national convention. Culp credits a lot of her success to the support of her parents and to the guidance of her chorus teacher. "My parents are extremely supportive of my singing. I wouldn't be as successful without their help," Culp says. "Ms. Whalen has helped me extraordinarily. She taught me how to sight read and that has helped me to reach the performing status I'm at now."
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