Grace Benedict, Grade 10:

I am singing “On My Own: from the musical Les Misérables. It is about a girl singing about her unrequited love and how she still dreams about being with her love, despite the fact that she knows he is in love with someone else and that they will never be together. It is definitely not a happy song.

Q: How did you get started in music? Who are your greatest musical influences?

A: I have loved to sing for as long as I can remember. Since around fourth grade, I have participated in everything musical that I could. I have a lot of musical influences. If we are talking on a personal level of people I know, directors I have worked with, vocal coaches, and even my peers have all been huge inspirations.

Q: Do you aspire to do anything with music in your future?

A: I am not really sure. It would definitely be a dream to continue singing and performing in my future.

Q: What is your favorite part about Performance Friday and/or performing in general?

A: I love the rush of performing. As someone who is pretty shy, performing allows me to express myself in a way I would not normally be comfortable doing.

Q: Do you get nervous to perform in front of people, specifically your peers? How do you quell your nerves?

A: I do not get as nervous as I used to. As soon as I start singing, the jitters usually go away and I am fine.

Q: What do you love most about music? Has music helped you in any way through the pandemic?

A: Music is just such a great outlet that I always turn to whenever I am in a bad place, and it never ceases to make me feel better. Music definitely helped me a lot during the pandemic. Being able to channel my energy into making videos for virtual music things I participated in and just listening to music has helped me so much over the past couple of months.