Choir Director Awarded "Outstanding Educator"

Congratulations to Kimberly Waigwa, choir director at Salpointe, on being named the Arizona Choral Educator's Outstanding New Choral Educator of the Year for 2018!
"As someone who did not start singing until the age of 19," Kimberly said, "I have had both the advantage and disadvantage of learning everything from the very basics up and being acutely aware of the of the processes of learning to sing, understanding vocal music, and studying the subject of music as a whole. 
 
I believe music is an inherent part of the human experience and a crucial component to true exploration of the heart and the mind. The voice resides halfway between the heart and the head for a reason, and in exploring both the physical process of understanding how to use your body to make sound and the understanding of the power and influence of words, singing can help you connect abstract human concepts and ideologies to concrete human understandings. These enrich the soul and expands one's understanding of other's experiences by reducing one's personal experience to basic understandings of discipline, constancy, and awareness. 
 
My favorite groups are beginning or inexperienced singers. It is always an amazingly rewarding process to observe the beginnings of vocal understanding and usurp their expectations of what they feel they cannot do. The process of learning to sing is 20% physical and 80% psychosomatic, and as an educator, when you can empower someone to challenge their perception and understanding of themselves and their perceived limitations, there is no greater joy or accomplishment. 

This award is very special to me because it is an award you have to be nominated for, that is not based on who you know, but who has recognized you. I am seldom one to be aware of my talents, skills, or visibility because I am typically singularly focused on my goals, so it amazes me that I was fortunate enough to be nominated by both my conducting professor, Dr. Elizabeth Schauer, and by Dr. Karin Nolan who oversaw my student teaching placement.
 
This honor reaffirms my commitment, both to myself and the multiple ensembles I lead, to strive for the best I can be at all times. Shawn Cullen, my mentor, always said, "Victory loves preparation," and I tell myself that every day. I would like to lead by example to illustrate that hard work beats out innate talent and skill every single time, and if you trust in the process of hard work, you will be rewarded with a sense of pride in yourself and in your accomplishments. And nothing has given me a greater pride in myself and my mission of creating empowering musical experiences than watching my ensembles learn and grow with me."


Kimberly is a recent graduate from the University of Arizona and holds Bachelor's degrees in both Music Education and Creative Writing. Kimberly was a conducting student of Dr. Elizabeth Schauer and mentored by Shawn Cullen, former master teachers in TUSD.
 
For two years, she has been and continues to serve as the assistant director of the community chorus Desert Voices, with which she made her national conducting debut at the 2016 GALA Choruses Festival in Denver, Colorado. Additionally, during her university coursework, Kimberly was the interim director of the St. Nicholas and After School Music Program at St. Philips in the Hills Episcopal Church, as well as a private piano and vocal instructor at Guitar Center, giving lessons to students age 5 - 65. 
 
In her last semester of school, Kimberly conducted the University of Arizona's top undergraduate ensemble, Symphonic Choir, as an audition for a national undergraduate conducting masterclass. She was selected as 1 of 8 participants from 86 applicants from around the country, and conducted the Luther College Collegiate Chorale at the national American Choral Director's Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she had the privilege of working with and receiving instruction from Dr. Ann Howard Jones. 
 
Kimberly was a student teacher at Ironwood Ridge High School with mentor teacher AJ Lepore '06, a Salpointe Catholic alumn and former Salpointe Catholic choir director. "Most notably," Kimberly said, "I have started working here at Salpointe Catholic, as music director for Mountain Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and as artistic director of the Phoenix Women's Chorus."

Congratulations Kimberly!
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Salpointe Catholic High School

1545 E. Copper St.,
Tucson, AZ 85719
(520) 327-6581
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