By Beth Anne Carroll

Staff Writer

There was a time when senior Hilary Taylor shared her time and commitments between her two musical talents: band and choir. These days, she only has one focus, and she plans to pursue it for years to come.

Taylor has had a highly successful vocal music career at Coppell High School. Now, she is taking her talents to the collegiate level.

After a high school music career including several awards, all-state honors and a stint as a captain of the varsity choral ensemble Madrigals, Taylor will follow her dreams and pursue a future in music. She plans to major in vocal performance at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Music is my passion and I think you have to follow your passion to be happy,” Taylor said.

Her talents have earned her recognition from students and teachers throughout CHS and her friends and family share her high hopes.

“Hilary is just like this ball of talent that is going to explode one day, and I am so excited to see what the future holds for her,” friend and Madrigal senior Michele Crater said.

Deciding to pursue a music major comes with the decision of which area to focus on. While Taylor considered music education, she chose vocal performance because of her added opportunities to perform.

Another factor in her decision is one of her musical inspirations. Vocal performance gives her the opportunity to follow in her mother’s footsteps and perform as a career.

As a former singer, Taylor’s mother got her started in music at a young age and taught her much of what she knows today. Her mother’s profession played a major role in Taylor’s decision to first get involved in music, as well as continue through college.

“She has been my voice teacher throughout high school and she was a singer. She got me started in singing and really sparked my interest,” Taylor said.

Her mother also sings along with her and the two will share the stage at Taylor’s senior voice recital, which is, fittingly, on Mother’s Day. Having her mother by her side and being able to learn from her experiences made the college process, as well as preparing for the future, much easier.

Taylor looked at the music schools at several universities, and even received scholarship offers from multiple colleges. Her search for her future school was as long and stressful as any senior’s, but with added obstacles.

Taylor had to audition at each of the schools at which she applied before she was accepted in to their respective music schools. These auditions required her to perform in front of a panel of judges, and she was tested on her musical ability and knowledge. She also took multiple visits to each school and had to consider her financial situation.

Her final decision was UT. While expenses were a major factor in her final decision, it also came down to which college she liked best.

“When I go on campus [at UT], I don’t want to leave and I know I will feel at home there,” Taylor said.

Deciding to pursue a music major comes with the decision of which area to focus on. While Taylor considered music education, she ended up choosing vocal performance, because of her added opportunities to perform.

Taylor is excited to begin her studies and continue the hard work she has put into music throughout high school, with the hopes of having a bright musical career.

“I am really excited for her. She has worked so hard over the years and I know that she is going to do some great things in the future,” friend and Madrigal senior Lydia White said.

While Taylor is looking forward to pursuing her musical future, she is also looking forward to having an exciting college experience at UT. Taylor hopes her ventures in music continue to take her far so that some day, she will be performing in front of a crowd in New York City.

“I cannot wait to see her perform in a place like the Winspear or Carnegie Hall because she has the drive to keep working until she gets what she wants, and I think she can reach that level,” Crater said.