Q: HOW DID YOUR INTEREST IN SINGING DEVELOP?

A: I grew up in a family of musicians; I am one of seven siblings and three of them are musicians. One day, some of my family asked me to sing and they said that I have a really good voice. From there, I have taken professional voice training classes that helped shape my voice; in addition, my siblings taught me a lot about singing and just learning the basics in general. Ever since then, I participate in musical clubs and it’s always been a part of my life. Since three of my siblings sing, most of the stuff they were teaching at school was easy. But yeah, it’s like I’m always constantly singing every day and it’s just been an interest; music has always been an interest of mine. I used to play the bass clarinet for the band but I stopped because none of my friends did it. That’s when I turned to vocal Choir.

Q: WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF CHOIR, BOTH THE CLASS AND MEN’S CHOIR, IN YOUR LIFE?

A: In about sixth grade, my teacher Ms. Weiss told me that I would be a good fit for Men’s Choir, which is just for men and consists of only tenors and basses. When I was accepted, I was put in a leadership role where I mentored lots of students and just aided them in a lot of aspects. As soon as we did our first concert, I was absorbed because it was a totally different sound from what I was used to in regular concert choir, especially because I was surrounded by voices very similar to mine and I could really fine-tune my own voice. As time went on, the music intensified and I learned different tricks to better my performances. It is definitely an experience that I can say has shaped my musical persona.

Q: CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR RECENT COMPETITIONS AND SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS?

A: This past year, I auditioned for All-State Choir, which is basically a competition between the best singers in New Jersey. Although I accidentally signed up for the wrong voice part, Tenor 2 instead of Bass 1, I managed to learn the Tenor 2 parts ten minutes before the audition and passed. In the competition, I tried my hardest and ranked number 26 in the competition. So this competition was at Jersey City and what’s cool about it is that we perform different genres like Renaissance music, classical music, etc. and we were trained by an elite professor as part of the competition; for us it was Dr. [Sandra] Snow, a conductor working in Michigan. In general, this competition and All-Easterns, which is the most elite competition that I’m planning to audition for, help you to move from an intermediate level to a professional level and that’s something I’ve gotten out of choir.

Q: WILL CHOIR PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?

A: There’s no way that I can get rid of singing because singing is a part of my life. Like I’ve been singing since I was 5 or 6, as I mentioned, and I’ve always had an interest in music. Music is never going to leave me. In terms of college, I want to minor in Musical Education, but primarily engineering is what I want to do. For singing though, we never know. All we can do is see where life takes us. I’m never going to be against the idea of becoming a music teacher or doing something in music. I love all the music professors who have taught me and have mentored me, so it would be great to pass those same sentiments to others.

Q: WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU WOULD TELL SOMEONE INTERESTED IN JOINING CHOIR?

A: From a professional mindset, I would say if you have an interest in music, talk to the professor who runs it. They’re never going to be against you singing or giving you information. If you talk to someone like Mr. Good, he will test you vocally and see if you have what it takes. Everyone can be a singer, but it takes confidence to be in choir. Nothing is impossible; if you have an interest in it, try doing it. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. You never know until you try it.

Q: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

A: Just in general, if you are thinking that music is going to be helpful or something you’re passionate about, I promise it’s going to be something that will completely change how you view things and how you live. From competitions, I have been immersed in so many different cultures, for instance my French heritage, and I have learned a lot about how music plays a role in these places. Depending on what type of music profession you go into and how you view it, it will influence how you live and how you think in your daily life. You’re just going to be so cultured at the end of it that you’re going to enjoy everything that crosses your path. It can also be a great skipping stone for trying new things. Be willing to open your mind to things other than what you normally see and that’s mostly my advice.

Julian, like many others, not only participates in Men’s Choir but in Choir Honors, a choir course consisting of both young men and women. Although singing is a skillful art, Julian says “everyone can be a singer,” and all it takes is confidence to do choir. He says that through the choir he has met countless amazing peers who share the same passion and who encourage him to be the best singer he can be. If you would like to learn more about choir, you can reach Mr. Good, the music director, at [email protected] or visit his room.