Welcome to Take 5 – A Spirit Magazine feature that asks five questions to people about their connection to the theme of the magazine.
“In Praise of God” is a reflection of how we praise and honor God through sharing our skills and talents. The Sisters have praised God through music since their earliest days by including praise music at Mass and by offering their musical gifts through teaching for nearly 140 years. Through their dedication to sharing music with others, God has blessed their Community and their sponsored ministries.
For this edition of Take 5, let’s look at four people who have embraced their personal callings to share their skills and talents with those who are around them.
Kelliann Wright, VCS Choir Teacher and Campus Ministry
Who/what first inspired you about music?
My parents’ love for music first led me to my own career as a singer and choral director. They met at Valley Catholic School their senior year while performing in the “Sound of Music.” Since Valley was an all girls school at the time, the school would collaborate with the boys at Jesuit for their musical productions. Ever since, my parents have always performed together. It was a natural journey for me to follow in their footsteps as a musician. My choral experience under the instruction of Sr. Juliana Monti at VCHS then inspired me to pursue higher education in Opera. I am so thankful for her guidance during my teenage years.
How does that experience motivate you to share music with others?
Since VCHS had such a powerful effect on my own journey as a musician, it is such an honor for me to be back inside these walls giving back to the community that helped build me. Music, and the connection built from singing as a choir family, is such a huge part of my identity and purpose in this world. To be able to share that with my students today – to see their joy, confidence, competence, and care for each other grow through creating and performing together is such a privilege.
How does your faith inspire you to continue to develop and share your musical talents?
I believe that I have been led down this musical path and career for a reason that is much bigger than myself. I also believe that I was led back to teach at Valley for a reason. This belief that my purpose is to serve those around me through my voice is so strong. It drives me everyday to continue to hone my craft and find new ways to connect with my students and hopefully offer them a place of joy where they can feel safe to be their true selves.
How do you help students with diverse backgrounds and abilities explore a joy for music?
Music is so special and unique as it speaks to every single human – no matter their background, culture, or ethnicity. I have the opportunity to embrace this sentiment by exploring all kinds of music of different cultures, languages, and styles with my students and the community. We find such joy in creating diverse sounds and songs together as a group. It really brings us closer together while also encouraging everyone to celebrate our unique gifts and stories we each bring to our choir family.
How does the Sisters’ nearly 140 years of music excellence inspire you as a teacher at their school?
Valley Catholic School holds so much sacred space for me and my family. My grandmother, aunts, parents, sibling, myself, and now my sweet daughter all have had the blessing to learn and grow from this community in so many ways. And, music is our shared joy. To now be a part of this legacy as a music teacher in this community absolutely inspires me to serve these kids in the way these Sisters have been serving all these years. The Sisters inspire me to lead with passion, purpose, and kindness.
Joyce My Nguyen, VCHS Senior, Conductor of the VCHS Liturgy Band, Student Council member and choir leader
Who/what first inspired you about music?
I attended VC Elementary School, and my music teacher was Sr. Denise Klaas. She always made our music performances fun. I remember being so proud to be a part of her class. Along with elementary school concerts, I have also studied piano for 11 years. My piano teacher, Ms. Junko Gilliland from the VC Music School, motivates me every day to keep sharpening my musical abilities.
How does that experience motivate you to share music with others?
My teachers have taught me that music is a joy inherently meant to be shared. Like how every concert needs an audience, music would not be nearly as special without those who are willing to listen to our songs and compositions. Music has the power to connect people, uniting performers to listeners.
How does your faith inspire you to continue to develop and share your musical talents?
Whenever we have an all-campus Mass, there is always a song or two where I can hear everyone in the gym fully sing together. It is truly transcendent to hear the entire school sing in worship with one another – from the preschool kids all the way to the high school seniors. It is during these moments where I feel deep in my heart that God is with us.
I have been so blessed to have a passion for music. Performing music is not only a shared joy, but it also serves as a way to appreciate God for our gifts and talents. Whenever I prepare for a concert or Mass, I always remind myself that I perform music in praise of God.
How do you encourage your peers to explore a joy for music?
I always encourage my classmates to come see a VC music concert, watch the spring musical, or attend a Liturgy Band rehearsal. Experiencing music as an audience member is often the first step to exploring the world of music.
How does the musical talent of the Sisters, VC teachers and students inspire you to grow as a musician? How would you like to pursue music education after your time at VCS?
I am constantly surrounded by teachers, peers, and Sisters who all share a love for music. The VC community is filled with talented musicians who are unafraid to support each other in musical performance, inspiring me to be proud as a musician. After my time at VCS, I intend to be highly involved in my future college’s music program. I am yet to determine where I will be studying after I graduate, but I am excited nonetheless to contribute my passion to a new music community.
Collin Heade, VC Music School Instructor, Conductor
Who/what first inspired you about music?
When I was just a very young lad, I remember singing and humming melody lines that I would just make up. I went to a parochial school, Our Lady of Lake, in Lake Oswego. We lined up to go to Mass every single morning. And, of course, we sang in church, and on special days in front of the Virgin Mary statue located between the convent and the school on a huge grass plain. All of the children were gathered around the statue singing, right there close to the main street. Cars would actually slow down to take notice. There is nothing as unique as hearing a whole school of very young children sing, whether outside or in the acoustics of a church. Nothing can match that innocent sound.
These days, I am also a conductor. I go out of my way to make sure the orchestra performs with the choir once a year. There is nothing better than that combined sound on our planet. Each instrument made through the centuries was compared in some way to the human voice. When we hear the combined sound of voice with the orchestra’s array of instruments, all is perfect.
How does that experience motivate you to share music with others?
It all begins with getting the choir’s message across to the listener. I want that communication to be both heard and felt. Its delivery needs to be addressed first with the orchestra, while keeping the choir’s part in mind. If it’s composed well, the story line is intact, but it needs to be brought out carefully. I compare it to telling a good imaginative tale. It needs to be set up perfectly so the story can be understood and experienced. Both the choir and the orchestra need to work together to achieve this.
Finally, with hard work, the end result is absolutely magical for everyone.
How does your faith inspire you to continue to develop and share your musical talents?
Sometimes in life it is important to understand that it is not up to us to fully understand why we were picked to do what we do. The better task is to jump in and just do the very best job we can. One can waste a lot of important time trying to figure out the why’s. It is better to just understand on a higher level that we were meant to do what we do. One may think they do not make enough money from their occupation. However, the real measure of wealth may be the number of lives we help change all around us.
With that in mind, my faith tells me I’m doing what I do for reasons on a higher level than I can logically perceive. I do not question it. Believe me, before I ever walk out on that stage, I ask for help to guide me, so I can help usher others to do their best interpretive job in a relaxed atmosphere. I ask for help for one reason: I cannot do this on my own. The task at hand is simply much larger than me.
How do you help students with diverse backgrounds and abilities explore a joy for music?
One can teach much better if they can relate to something the student knows a lot about, such as their occupation, nationality, or even which sports they are involved in. Music can relate to just about anything, if you know how to present it and compare it.
Take baseball for example. Some may think you need a lot of muscle to hit a ball out of the park. But no, one needs to be loose, not strong, and not clutching the bat. One needs to be relaxed and focused. Shoulders even and down. Which parts of the arms do we use? How do we relax our thumbs and not squeeze? What is our breathing like? Do we inhale or exhale, and when?
In this sense it is rather amazing how many things are similar to music.
How does the Sisters’ nearly 140 years of music excellence inspire you as a teacher at their school?
That is an easy question to answer. In my grade school, years ago, the Sisters were totally mesmerizing in their teaching technique. Always prepared, proper, talented, fun, yes and sometimes strict, yet they knew their place in the world. They were all quite happy as well. We all loved them.
The first time I walked down the hall on the way to the music rooms in the Sisters’ Motherhouse, I felt this calm feeling as if I was home again. I have never forgotten that initial feeling, and still to this day I feel it when I’m there. It is rather an amazing experience. Even when I drive into the campus parking lot and I see the tall sequoia trees, I think of them as the Sisters from my past, still watching over their school, reminding us all to do the very best job we possibly can.
Noemi Rodriguez, VCELS Teacher
I was very fortunate to have many wonderful teachers growing up and that encouraged me to become a lifelong learner. Teachers play an important role in a child’s life and having that support helps build good community members for the future.
How does that experience motivate how you joyfully-engage with your students?
Teaching young students that school can be a fun place to learn is what it’s all about. Children are naturally curious about the world and how it works and preschool helps embrace that curiosity with engaging lessons and activities. They find joy in everyday things and it’s an important reminder for me to offer opportunities that create happy and long lasting memories for each of my students.
How does your faith inspire you to continue to develop and share your talents with students?
Having the chance to work with so many students of all ages throughout my day is a reminder of the opportunity I have to share God’s love with each and every one of them. Whether it’s offering a hug, smile, words of encouragement, or lending an ear to listen; these are all opportunities to embody what it means to be a friend of God, which is something I encourage my students to practice both in and outside the classroom.
How do you help students with diverse backgrounds and abilities prepare for performances, such as a song for the Sisters or being on stage for the Christmas program?
Our Christmas program is always an exciting event for everyone. We prepare the children for Jesus’s birth by sharing the Nativity Story and the joy that comes with the season. Throughout the year we practice songs during our weekly all school Monday prayer. We even use some sign language for the younger students to give them an opportunity to join us in song.
How does the Sisters’ nearly 140 years of education excellence inspire you as a teacher at their school?
The Sisters’ generosity and faithful guidance have opened the doors for many students and their families to share an education rooted in faith and community. My students teach me new lessons every day, and it’s a reminder to continue to be like little children because of their pure, accepting, easy trusting, joyful, and wide-eyed open faith.
