All-State choir a great thrill for Marion senior

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN CYNTHIA MARTENS
Standing among the best high-school vocalists in the state and singing with the All-State Choir was the highlight of her music career.

Marion High School senior Erin Fruechting was honored by being accepted in the choir and enjoyed every minute of her performance at the event held the end of February.

“I think this year’s All-State Choir was the most inspiring musical experience I’ve ever been a part of,” Fruechting said. “To sing with 256 of the best singers in the state is just something else.”

Fruechting was one of three students in the MHS choir program chosen for All-State Choir.

“She’s an excellent sight reader,” said Kevin Moler, the new choir director at MHS. “She’s a very hard worker-if you ask her to do something, she’ll do it. She’s always positive and such a nice person.”

In the Fruechting family, the vocal ingenue is the middle child-with an older sister and younger brother. Mom Lori is a secretary at Case & Son Insurance Inc. in Marion, and dad Kevin works at Central National Bank.

The 12-year MHS senior said music runs in her family. Kevin sings with the Aulne Boys, associated with Aulne United Methodist Church.

“They used to travel a lot, and they’ve made some tapes,” Fruechting said.

“Sometimes, they get back together at family reunions and other places, but they don’t travel as much as they used to. I grew up around music with my dad being in the group. I would always travel with them.”

The first time she was aware of her musical abilities was singing with friends in elementary school.

“We’d sing to the radio,” Fruechting said. “One time, one of them mentioned something about how I was on tune with the radio.”

Beginning in the elementary choir program in first grade, she sang in school every year through middle school. Due to a scheduling conflict, she didn’t take choir her freshman year, but participated again her sophomore through her senior years.

Although she has sung soprano, she is now a member of the alto section, and the switch was not a difficult task.

“I thought it came pretty easily,” Fruechting said. “I liked it because it was kind of a challenge to make the harmony with the sopranos. Sometimes, the notes are harder to find, but I like it.”

Taking piano lessons in elementary school helped her learn notes and, together with her choir experiences, made sight reading a comfortable task for her, Fruechting said.

As a senior, she’s a member of Concert Choir and the MHS Singers. Her journey to All-State Choir began with auditions for District Choir in the fall on the Wichita State University campus.

“If you have a high enough score, you go on from district to state,” Fruechting said.

“This is the first year I’ve gone to state. I found out the end of December, and I was shocked. I really didn’t think my audition went that well. And I had heard the other people who went before and after me. I just thought, ‘There’s no way I can compete with this.'”

This year, she also plans to compete at regionals. She will go on to state contest if she receives a ‘I’ at regionals.

“I’m taking two solos to regionals,” Fruechting said. “One of them is a French song, because they usually like you to take one foreign-language song. And then I will also be singing with the MHS Singers.”

Helping her prepare for regionals and eventually state competition is Lynn Just, Fruechting’s private vocal instructor. Just works with Fruechting once a week and has been helping her since contest season last year.

This year, the two began working together at the beginning of the school year and have been concentrating on vocal mechanics.

“She noticed that I could read music very well-sight read-and she said I was strong with intonation,” Fruechting said.

“Some parts I need to work on are my breath support, because sometimes my voice sounds kind of airy. We’re working on that right now. That’s what they really look at when you sing solos at contest-breath support.”

The songs picked for regionals and state were specifically chosen to compliment Fruechting’s vocal range.

“So, she thinks that this year I should do better than previous years,” Fruechting said about Just’s predictions for her protegee. “I’ve only gotten ‘I’s at regionals, and I’ve gotten ‘II’s at state.”

Other school music activities include playing alto saxophone in band and tenor saxophone in jazz band. She was chosen as drum major this year, directs pep band at football and basketball games and also directed the halftime performances at football games.

She was chosen to play the part of Glenda, the good witch, in “The Wizard of Oz,” the fall school production. “That was a lot of fun,” Fruechting said.

She carries about a 3.5 grade-point-average and, for three days a week, she’s a Teacher’s Aide in the school office. Off the school grounds, she sings in her church choir and plays the piano there.

“And, I work a lot,” Fruechting said. “I work at Carlson’s Grocery about 16 to 20 hours a week. I’m trying to save some of it up for college and car payments.”

College plans are set. Next fall, she will attend Washburn University in Topeka, and she plans to major in business and minor in music.

Fruechting received a $600 singing scholarship and will audition for the choir program at Washburn.

“When I went to audition for the scholarship, they told me there was a very high chance of making it in the choir,” Fruechting said. “And to start saving my pennies, because the choir travels to Europe and Australia. I’m very excited about that.”

As her school years at MHS slowly come to an end, Fruechting said the best part about her choir experience is being able to participate in a school activity.

“Since I’m not involved in sports, it’s another way for me to feel like I’m doing something worthwhile,” Fruechting said.

“And, I love the feeling when you’re done with a great performance.”

As a senior, she contributes to the group in a leadership capacity, but choir has also given something back to her.

“Choir gives me something to look forward to doing every day,” Fruechting said as she listed the benefits she’s gained as a member of the MHS choir program.

“I think it’s a very relaxing time, because I enjoy music. I think it helps with my leadership skills-helping those around me to better understand rhythm and notes. And, we make a lot of friends in choir.”

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