PHS vocalist takes top honor
Aug. 30—Although she has been steeped in music her whole life, Permian High School senior Kendra Burton was still surprised at earning the honor of Outstanding Vocal Performer at the Texas State Solo & Ensemble contest.
Aiden Armendariz, a sophomore at PHS this year who plays double bass, also won the Outstanding Performer award.
Burton is the daughter of Stephanie Burton, PHS associate choir director.
Kendra Burton is in Kantorei, the top mixed ensemble, Black Magic, Permian's pop ensemble, Senate Executive Board secretary and National Honor Society treasurer.
She is going into her third years with Kantorei and Black Magic.
Burton, a 17-year-old senior, had a voice teacher at Texas Tech University who told her all her students received the outstanding soloist award and Burton would be the next. Burton was a little skeptical.
Of the 100,000 students participating in the regional UIL Music Contests and 10,000 of musicians who performed at TSSEC, only 1%-2% of the solo performers earn the distinguished honor of outstanding performer, a news release said.
"It was a little bit of a surprise since I thought it was such a prestigious, out of reach award. I didn't think it was necessarily within my reach," Burton said.
When it sank in, Burton said she was excited and honored.
She added that it was another thing she could put on her resume that would make her more competitive when she auditions for vocal performance at schools of music at colleges.
"... Having as many things on your resume ... makes you look cooler and more legit, I would say," Burton said.
She added that she has sung all her life, but started choir in eighth grade.
She sang in the church and elementary choir growing up, but also joined band as an oboist.
"I didn't really enjoy it as much. There was a lot of practicing to it, and so then once I came here to high school, I didn't really enjoy marching season necessarily so that's when I was done with choir," Burton said.
She did sing in choir in eighth grade when she had the option to take more than one elective.
Burton went to Nimitz for one year after moving to Odessa from Keller in the Fort Worth area. Being in band helped her pick up sight reading and reading music more easily.
Burton said she wants to pursue music in college.
"Right now, the plan is to major in vocal performance and then move on to get my master's in vocal pedagogy, which is kind of the study of how the voice works. And then with that, obviously performing and then being a voice teacher, like (a) one-on-one private teacher and then maybe even get my doctorate degree and teach collegiately," Burton said.
She said having her mother as one of her choir directors has been fun.
"... We have a good balance on knowing when to be professional and it's nice to have a mom here at school and on campus just to have that comfort, but I think we work pretty well together and maintain professionalism," Kendra Burton said.
She added that the Permian choir program feels prepares students well for all-state and solo and ensemble competitions.
"... Those competitions are really important to me just to grow me as a musician, and like I said, ... more titles and awards to put on my resume for college," Burton said.
She added that she feels singing is her God-given talent. Burton attends Stonegate Odessa.
"... I just want to use my gifts for everyone and to glorify God," Burton said.
She only met Armendariz the day before at the school board meeting when they were both recognized. Burton thought it was cool that he got to represent the orchestra.
"I think it's really cool how not just the choir program is thriving here at Permian, that our band program, our orchestra, we all thrive and it's cool to just all be musicians together," Burton said.
As a mother, Stephanie Burton said she is extremely proud of Kendra.
"... But as a choir director, definitely, proud at her determination and how hard she works. Yes, it is a God- given talent and we're so grateful for that. But there are a lot of students that have a born talent that kind of squander it because they just don't work hard. She's just such a hard worker and being her mom, I also know that she's practicing all the time because I hear in her room. I just I think back to my high school days, and I did not practice that much and I wish I had. I would probably have gone much further, as she is doing and so just a lot of grit and determination and that just makes me so proud," Stephanie Burton said.
Director of Choirs Laurie Alfred Wash said it is such an honor to have a student with that much drive in the program.
"She is an example. ... She is a great student in rehearsals. She looks ahead and she's attentive to others' needs not only her own. It's a pleasure to have her here," Wash said.
Wash replaces Kenneth Sieloff who had directed the choirs Burton was in up until this year.
"Change is hard. But this year I'm just trying to come in with a good mindset of change doesn't mean bad and just take every experience, every new thing, just as a new experience, because in life we're going to be put in front of, especially when I go to college, you're going be put in front of so many different directors that you may not necessarily prefer, or like, but you just you do what you love, and ... you sing and you respect and you just go with the flow have good attitude about it," Burton said.
The top three colleges on Kendra's list are Baylor, Texas Christian and Texas Tech universities.
