Natalie Nelson is a freshman at Lakeland High School who went to STEM Charter Academy since kindergarten and this is her first year at a different school. Nelson has been enjoying her time here at Lakeland meeting all the new people and teachers, she is also excelling at some of the electives she is taking, such as choir.
Nelson was in choir at her old school and has been singing since before she can remember.
“I have been singing since I could walk,” said Nelson.
Since Nelson has experienced both the STEM Charter Academy choir and the Lakeland High School choir, she has experienced two completely different singing environments. Though she has good memories and experiences from STEM, she prefers the Lakeland choir because they have more passion in their singing. Nelson also said the Lakeland choir has a better understanding of what it takes to be a musician and they try harder to perfect their voices.
Natalie Nelson has been to Solo and Ensemble twice, this is an event where solos or small groups get to perform for experienced judges and get tips for their performance, and how to make it even better. The performers also get a ranking and certificate for how well their performance was. Both times Nelson has gone she has gotten the highest rank of superior.
“I felt like I actually accomplished something that didn’t have to do with academics or what people expect out of you,” Nelson said. She recommends everyone to try solo and ensemble with either playing an instrument or singing because it is a great learning experience and getting used to performing to a judge.
Nelson says her favorite part of choir is how it helps her convey emotions and feelings she can not when she is just speaking. This makes her music and singing more personal and powerful because of the emotions she puts into the music.
Nelson recommends choir to everyone because of how powerful the experience can be and because it is a very fun and useful skill to learn.
“I recommend singing in a choir because it really lifts your spirit and you make a lot of friends and I think everybody can sing if they try,” Nelson said.
Outside of school, Nelson rides horses and takes lessons for different types of riding. The two types she practices are dressage and western disciplines. Dressage is a type of English horse riding with exaggerated movements and a much fancier appearance than western discipline. Western discipline is another type of riding that is american made using traditional western appearance and focuses more on endurance rather than being fancy.
Nelson has been horse back riding for five years at four different facilities that do horse riding lessons. She takes a lesson every Wednesday and Thursday.
“The horses I ride are named Ryder, Kai, and Malila, but my favorite is Ryder because I have known her for three years and we have created a special bond because she is mean to everyone but me,” Nelson said.
Natalie recommends horse riding to everyone because of how unique it is and the experience is super fun and the memories you make from it will last a lifetime.