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Central senior earns prestigious All-State Choir honor

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Central senior Brenna Buckman has been selected as a member of the 2020 All-State Chorus, the highest individual honor available to Iowa high school vocal musicians.

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

When she was selected as a member of the 2020 All-State Chorus, Brenna Buckman was “so beyond excited!” The Central senior, having achieved the highest individual honor available to Iowa high school vocal musicians, understood the gravity of the accolade and felt the pride that comes with it. Pride in the prestigious nature of what occurred, and the exclusivity of the honor bestowed upon her, as being selected is no easy feat. 

In fact, it’s a rarity for Central and 1A schools in general, as only 6 to 7 percent of those selected were from 1A schools, and Buckman was the only student who made the cut from 1A schools in northeast Iowa. She is Central’s first selection since 2012. 

“It’s such a huge honor, and I’m so proud of myself for achieving it. I’m so grateful to have been accepted,” Buckman said. 

The long, hard road to this honor began in sixth grade, when a little girl realized two things: how much she loved singing and that she was not a “sporty girl.” 

The love of music came from listening to it in the car with her mom, singing along to Elvis Presley, performing at the Elkader Opera House and being inspired by the kindness and creativity of Cheri and Jonathon Moser. 

For Buckman, singing is a source of happiness and a source of escape. 

“I learned that there is so much emotion and feeling behind music, and there’s so much more than what’s on the surface,” she said. 

The music Buckman enjoys performing the most is musical theatre songs. They’re expressive and fun, but also difficult, showing the range and ability of the performer. A favorite piece is “Prayer of the Children,” arranged by Mark Hayes, a song she sang in the honor choir in seventh grade. 

“It’s a prayer of hope for the children who aren’t as fortunate…and it made me realize just how powerful music can really be,” Buckman said. 

Even with this love of performing and music, and being touched by the songs, Buckman’s road to all-state wasn’t paved in gold, but strewn with speed bumps, most notably the arch nemesis of all performers: motivation. When the work becomes hard, or things simply don’t work out as planned, it can lead to “frustration.” The intensity of the preparation, the practices and the high stakes performances caused Buckman, at times, to feel worn out, and she’s contemplated quitting. 

However, perseverance is the antidote to giving up, and Buckman’s positive personality always finds a way. She sung adversity away with the power and passion of her voice. 

“I always find the motivation from somewhere to keep working on myself and my passion [and] there are so many great things about performing,” she said. 

The motivation also comes from the experience of being in Central’s choir and the friends she has made along the way, friends she has vowed to “always keep close.”

But this year wasn’t only impacted by the search for motivation, but also by COVID-19. The virus prevented Buckman from attending an all-state camp in August, which she described as a setback. But adversity is an inadequate foe for the determined individual. 

When it came to the cancellation of the 2020 All-State Music Festival Concert, though, no amount of determination could overcome the decision caused by COVID-19. The stages sat empty, and a different type of adversity silenced the voices. 

As a senior, Buckman will never have this chance again, but she seems at peace with it, given the circumstances.

“I’m a little sad that I won’t be able to attend, but I completely understand that it’s dangerous at this time. I’m optimistic that, at some point, an opportunity to perform the songs will arise,” she said. 

The senior is still a little in disbelief that this will be the final year she performs with the Central choir. 

“I cannot believe that this is my last year…it’s absolutely insane, and I will miss this program and everyone in it so much. I’ll probably miss seeing my friends the most,” she admitted. 

At college, Buckman plans on being in choir. While the plan after that is still unknown, she intends to keep on singing, because, once you find the passion, it’s hard to let it go. 

To those who follow in her footsteps at Central, and to anyone else who enjoys music, Buckman said, “keep on performing. Keep on working. I promise you that, in the end, it’s so worth it.”

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