Local choral student going to national convention

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."