Stepping onto the risers, Chamber Choir alto senior Jacqueline Luo seamlessly blends her voice within the music. For Luo, choir is more than just singing; she hopes to pass down knowledge to the young choir students that she tutors outside of school.
Luo started in Treble Choir but soon transitioned to Chamber Choir the following year, where she was ready to take on the new challenge of learning songs on a more advanced level.
“The most challenging part of Chamber Choir is the music, especially because it’s much harder for the melodies and the rhythms to combine together,” Luo said. “It’s really fast paced too because we learn around four songs every month.”
Luo’s journey in music started when she was five years old. Beginning with private lessons when she was young, she fell in love with singing. She later became interested in group choir and decided to pursue it in high school, where she practices half an hour everyday individually and an hour every Wednesday with the Chamber Choir.
“I really liked music, and it was something that was my passion as a kid and I kept doing it as I got older. I think music is a really good form of self expression, especially for people who have a more artistic side because you’re able to feel like you can change the music in your own way,” Luo said.
Taking her passion outside of school, Luo has tutored around eight kids to help them with their singing. She teaches them at her private teacher’s studio in Monterey Park, applying the techniques she learned in Chamber Choir to help younger kids with rhythm and notes they need help with.
“When I was younger, I got a lot of help from older students that were willing to give me some advice. I wanted to do the exact same thing for the next generation of singers,” Luo said. “Whatever I learn from chamber, I hope to pass it down and teach the kids as well.”
Being in Chamber Choir has been a challenging yet exciting task for Luo. As someone who has several years of experience, Luo is eager to tutor and give advice to her students who want to follow in her footsteps.
“I want them to practice a lot. Always start from the basics even if it may get boring or repetitive. Warm ups for your skills are especially important, and they need to make sure to learn from other people and pick up the things that would work for them as well,” Luo said.
With the goal of making her tutoring sessions fun, Luo creates games that help her younger students to focus on content like music theory. Despite teaching kids ranging from ages 4 to 8 years old, Luo hopes to create a serious, but carefree learning environment.
“The age group that I teach is very young so it’s hard for them to cooperate or focus on new material to learn,” Luo said. “It’s really rewarding to see them finally understanding and enjoying the material that I am teaching to them.”
Sophomore Joseph Luo, Jacqueline’s brother, has witnessed her sister’s growth in music throughout their childhood. He credits her as one of his main reasons that he wishes to have a positive impact on others.
“I think it’s cool that she spends her weekends teaching younger kids music. She inspires me to also help my classmates and others,” Joseph said.
Luo also wants to ensure that her students take full advantage of the lessons to excel in music. Helping them easily bypass her previous struggles in singing is one of her main goals in each lesson.
“I think one of the most important things to pass on is to enjoy the music and learn the stories that each song holds,” Luo said. “I want to showcase what we worked so hard to perform with others in the Chamber Choir.”
