Senior Jocelyn McBride is a fantastic music student, participating in both Concert Orchestra as a violinist and Concert Choir as a soprano one.

She is involved in not only the standard choir and orchestra, but also the extracurricular musical activities offered, which include Con Amici Orchestra and Vagabonds. These are exclusive to only those in the top of the orchestra and choir programs.

McBride started having an interest in music from a very young age. Her family, especially her mom, was very inclined in music, teaching her and her siblings to play piano.

She would “always sing around the house.”

Her siblings were also involved in the arts, including playing instruments and participating in choir.

An interesting fact about McBride is that she did not join choir until her senior year of high school.

“I have not really been in choir before. I think I was in fifth grade choir. And then no experience since then,” McBride said.

One of the choir teachers, Angela Mitchell, who directs Concert Choir and Vagabonds, was impressed with McBride’s skills, especially since she had not had very much experience before this year.

“She is overall a very good musician,” Mitchell explained.

“She is used to being a string player, but string players often have really beautiful voices. She just innately sings in tune and then she has the ability to read music, which puts her up into a level that makes her ready for Vagabonds,” Mitchell added.

Her orchestra teacher, Ryan Jensen, was also impressed by her skills over the last year.

“She is willing to take risks and she understands that being a violinist is being willing to learn from your mistakes,” Jensen explained.

“Throughout the course of last year, I feel she has really accepted herself and come into her own as a person and violinist,” Jensen added.

Throughout the years, even if McBride has not participated in choir, she has attended a lot of their events because her siblings were performing in them. This is something that really pushed her to audition for choir this year.

“Something about choral music was just always really impressive and touching to me,” McBride explained. “I think that inspiration of listening to it for years and finally feeling like I wanted to, helped me.”

Even if she does not plan on having music as a career, she hopes to incorporate it in any way she can. Either as just a hobby or something she does when she has time.

“I really hope to continue. At the very least, I will probably take my violin with me to college and just play for fun,” McBride said.

“I also hope to go somewhere where I can audition for an ensemble or join a choir again,” McBride added.

McBride is a very talented musician that the Concert Orchestra and Concert Choir are fortunate to have. She has so many talents and contributes a lot to the music department.

Jensen proved this point when he said, “Jocelyn’s awesome. She is great. She has just been really awesome to have in orchestra. I am going to be sad to see her leave at the end of this year.”