Catholic Schools Week Supplement

Shawe vocalists sing for school and community

Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School eighth-graders Brogan Drumm, from left, Shelby Gray and Hana Roberts sing during the dedication of the renovated Clifty Inn at Clifty Falls State Park in Madison last year. (Photo courtesy of Indiana Department of Natural Resources)

By Mary Ann Wyand

MADISON—The hilltop is alive with the sound of music.

Like the Von Trapp family made famous by The Sound of Music, four students at Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School are blessed with beautiful voices and enjoy singing for others.

Shawe Memorial sophomore Brittany Armstrong, a member of St. Mary Parish in North Vernon, and eighth-graders Brogan Drumm, Shelby Gray and Hana Roberts, all of Madison, are well-known in the Seymour Deanery for their considerable vocal talents.

Shawe, which has 161 students, is built on a hill and the school’s sports teams are called the Hilltoppers.

“You just don’t find four vocalists in a school of this size that are as talented as they are,” Shawe principal Jerry Bomholt explained. “They sing for us at ball games and other events.”

Bomholt, who is a member of Prince of Peace Parish in Madison, said “Shelby sang at my son’s wedding and was just phenomenal.”

The girls share a love of music and are excited about auditioning for roles in Peter Pan, Shawe’s spring musical, on May 4-5.

Brittany thinks it would be fun to play Wendy or Captain Hook, and Hana hopes to portray Peter Pan.

“I’ve been singing since I could talk, pretty much,” Brittany said. “I would always sing at home. My first real singing part was in third grade [at St. Mary School in North Vernon]. … Last year, I had a solo, ‘Day by Day,’ in [Shawe’s production of] Godspell.”

Brittany said she thinks her gift of music is “God-given because not everyone has it” and she “can sing in front of anybody.”

She loves to sing country songs, and after graduation hopes to continue her studies at a music school so she can “do something with singing or acting.”

Brittany said she enjoys going to school at Shawe Memorial, and doesn’t mind the 25-minute drive from North Vernon.

“Everyone is so nice and welcoming,” she said. “I really like the music program. It gives me a chance to get involved.”

Brogan, Shelby and Hana often sing a cappella—without any musical accompaniment—as a trio. They take voice lessons in addition to music classes and choir activities at school.

Becky Weber, director of marketing for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and member of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, said the eighth-grade girls sang beautifully during the dedication of the renovated Clifty Inn at Clifty Falls State Park in Madison last year.

“We sing at church sometimes,” Hana said. “Right now, the national anthem is our major thing to sing at events. We sing it on Memorial Day, and we’ve been asked to sing it for basketball games at Hanover College.”

Hana said she loves all kinds of music and especially likes to sing country songs. She hopes to attend music school then pursue a career as a vocalist.

“I’ve sang since I was really little,” she said. “I sing at home all the time for fun.”

Shelby said it is fun to sing with her friends, with or without accompaniment.

“We practice a lot with our voice teacher, Nancy Kidwell,” she said. “It’s not that hard because she makes sure we get it right. … We just started singing a cappella. Seventh grade is when we started to get into three-part harmonies. In sixth grade, we would sing together but we wouldn’t sing in different parts. Now we’re up to three parts.”

Shelby mostly sings soprano parts, Hana is a mezzo-soprano or alto, and Brogan can sing soprano, alto or bass.

“When we went to the Indiana State School Music Association [competition], we got a perfect score singing three-part harmony,” Brogan said. “We sing ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ at games and whenever anybody needs us to sing it. We also sang it for the Clifty Inn dedication.”

Brogan and Shelby hope to study at the Juilliard School of Music in New York then work as professional vocalists.

“Music is my life,” Brogan said. “I want to sing and act for the whole world.”

Shelby said singing opens “so many doors and opportunities” in life.

“Ever since I was little,” she said, “my Mom and Dad have always told me that it is a gift from God … and that I should give back the gift that God gave me because he wants me to use it for something good.”

Shelby is often asked to sing “Ave Maria” for weddings and funeral Masses at Prince of Peace Church in Madison.

Matthew Graham, Shawe’s director of music and performing arts, said “a cappella is incredibly hard to sing” because it requires “a true vocalist” who has “the ability to keep different notes in your ear and mind … before you sing them. … All four girls are incredibly talented.” †