While many artists look up to and admire Broadway singers, sophomore Adyson Cooper spends her time listening to famous musical producers to improve her own singing techniques.

You may know Cooper from the musical Godspell, but originally, it wasn’t going to be Godspell. The original plan for Maize High was to produce a different play, but there simply weren’t enough boys to create their original plan.

“We were going to do a musical called Urinetown, about a dystopian world where you had to pay to use the bathroom. We didn’t have enough guys audition, so we did Godspell instead,” Cooper said. “Godspell was so much fun! The main ten cast members were AMAZING, and I was in the chorus with Alissa Ragland, Addi Gimple, and Payten Lapoint. I have so many fun memories from Godspell.”

For Cooper, her singing experience started in elementary school and then she finally got the courage to audition for a musical as a freshman.

“I did WCCC (Wichita Children’s Community Choir) for 2 years in elementary school,” Cooper said. “When I auditioned for a musical in 9th grade, the choir teacher suggested that I join choir.” 

But Cooper definitely has progressed since her freshman year in choir. Cooper and other choir members have to do voice exercises to help make their voice better and improve their vocal range so they continually improve semester to semester.

“Our goal is that all singers will improve in their ability, and Adyson definitely has improved both in range and pitch,” Choir teacher Doris Prater said. “There are a variety of exercises that we do with each one designed to help develop the voice or the ear to make better singers.”

Cooper was in WCCC for two years where she learned to breathe correctly when singing and how to manipulate her voice to go higher and lower.

“In WCCC the teacher would give us music and we would meet once a week at Friends University to work on the music. Once we had it all practiced we would perform the songs at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton church for the winter prelude,” Cooper said.