Student of the Week: Triad senior sings her way to a top Illinois Music Education Association award

Laura Douglas started singing at church when she was 5 and hasn’t stopped.

“Singing was something I always liked to do,” said the dark-haired Triad High School senior. “I got to sing with my mom (Nancy) and sister (Kim). It was a real bonding point. They always supported me.”

The mezzo-soprano (“It’s not the highest. You can go higher; you can go lower.”) was recently named one of the top vocalists in the state by the Illinois Music Education Association. Because of that, she got to sing the national anthem twice March 11 to open the IHSA Boys State Basketball March Madness Tournament in Peoria. No pressure.

“The first time I was very, very nervous,” said Laura. “My legs were shaking the entire time. The second time, I got up there and I was good. I got a lot of comments, people telling me I did very, very well.”

Laura grew up cantoring Mass at Mother of Perpetual Help in Maryville with her mom. She has taken piano lessons since she was 7 and began taking private singing lessons with Liz Enloe, of Edwardsville, when she was 12.

“She was good when I first got her,” said Liz, her voice teacher for six years and middle school choir teacher. “She has probably the perfect voice for musical theater, good control of upper and lower (range). She has a really, really wide range. She’s a good academic student and works hard at her vocal work. She’s very serious. ... To get a scholarship in musical theater (at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau) is really a rare experience. She’s going into a really good program.”

Laura was a shy seventh-grader when she set her sights on the lead in the Triad Middle School production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

“I worked hard to prepare, got a minor part, learned the ropes and made new friends,” she said. “It pushed me over the edge and brought me out of my shell.”

The next year, she played Marian the Librarian in “The Music Man.”

“Her older sister was outgoing,” mother Nancy said. “Everyone knew her sister could sing. When Laura sang in ‘The Music Man,’ everyone was shocked. She didn’t talk about it. She just went up and did it.”

“Pursuing music (parts) made me more outgoing,” Laura said. “It made me make a lot of friends. I could be myself.”

Q: How did you know you had a good voice?

A: “A lot of my friends liked singing in the car. I thought everybody was good at it. You get to high school and realize that’s not the case. When I got to high school, I auditioned for chamber choir. There are 15 people in it. They do a lot of community stuff, concerts. They do all types of music. That was the first year they were letting freshmen in. Me and my friend Abby auditioned and got in. We felt a little out of our element the first year. The first day, they wanted us to do sight reading. We had no idea what to do or how to do it. We knew the actual theory, but it was difficult. Once you catch on, it’s pretty easy. I’ve been in chamber choir all four years. Now, you get to go in and help underclassmen.”

Q: How did the competition work?

A: “It was a long process. You have to audition to get into All-District. That was in October. They take the top one from each section — soprano one, soprano two .... The district included Edwardsville, Collinsville, Troy, Carlyle and Highland. ... It’s not too difficult to get in, but you have to know what you are doing. From there, you go to All-District. They call out the top scorers. You sing the national anthem. I was suffering from mono at the time. The All-District was the first time I had been out and about. I was tired and overwhelmed already. They called my name. ‘You were one of the top scorers in your section’ (among the top 18 in the state) ... I didn’t think I would get anything. I know other people who got it, and they were incredible. Maybe I just got lucky.”

Q: When you sing the National Anthem, do you make it your own?

A: “For the most part, I stay pretty consistent. There are times when I add a little riff here and there. You don’t want to sound the same as everyone else.”

Q: What do you like about singing?

A: “So much. The freedom that comes with it, the expression. When you are singing a song, you can make it your own. There’s a level of acting that goes with singing.”

Q: How much do you practice?

A: “I practice just about every day. I come home from school. There’s a nice opportunity. I’m all alone from 2:30 to 4:30. I get a lot of practice in then.”

Q: Any other music-related activities?

A: “I do community theater. I was involved with Looking Glass Playhouse. I do plays with Goshen Theatre Project in the Edwardsville, Collinsville, Troy area. I did ‘Shrek’ in October and they are doing ‘Peter Pan’ this summer at The Hett (McKendree University’s center for the arts). We are going to try to fly. We audition in April. I think I’m going for Wendy. I was Fiona in ‘Shrek.’ I really like acting. You can be different people, experience new things while acting ... At first, you are very aware of the audience. As you go through scenes, the audience will melt away. Then, they will clap or make noise. You realize they are there. It’s comforting to know they are there. I also work for Enchanted Events (a St. Louis entertainment company). I dress as a fairy tale princess. I love the costumes and wigs, and I wear tons of makeup. I have blue contacts so I can be a blonde, too. There are a lot of birthday parties, meet-and-greets, Magic House events. Right now, I’m doing it every weekend. Sometimes, when the princess sings a song, all the little kids will sing it with her. Some will run into your arms. That’s very rewarding. I see a lot of kids’ dreams come true before my eyes.”

Q: What next?

A: “I am gong into musical theater next year at SEMO (Southeast Missouri State University). I went to visit. It felt like home.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 4:53 AM with the headline "Student of the Week: Triad senior sings her way to a top Illinois Music Education Association award."