Miami Herald Article

BACKING AN IDOL

DR. MICHAEL M. KROP SENIOR'S LIGHTNING SINGERS GOT TO SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT WITH FORMER AMERICAN IDOL STAR AND MULTIPLATINUM ARTIST CLAY AIKEN

BY BEN TORTER

btorter@herald.com


Every performer dreams of that lucky break that catapults them into the big time.

That spotlight shone Saturday night for the Lightning Singers of the Dr. Michael M. Krop High School Magnet program when they performed with famed, multiplatinum American Idol recording artist Clay Aiken.

The vocal music students said the experience was nothing short of inspirational.

The high school chorus belted out with smiling confidence every note of Paul Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water in front of a packed ballroom at the Florida Voices for Change gala at the Broward County Convention Center.

''I think Clay is so nice and I can't believe we actually had the opportunity to sing with him,'' 17-year-old Krop senior Jennifer Milton said. ``I'll never forget it.''

The $200-a-ticket gala was organized by Today's Caregiver magazine and benefited Aiken's Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which provides grants, services and inclusive programs to children with special needs.

The event was emceed by Deco Drive anchor Louis Aguirre and facilitated by dignitaries like Miss Florida Jenna Edwards, Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman, State Rep. Susan Goldstein and Broward County Commissioner Lois Wexler.

Dr. Michael M. Krop High School Music Director Lawrence Davidson was nonchalantly confident when he explained how his chorus secured the gig.

''One of the parents was in a conversation with people from the Aiken Foundation, and she suggested us and we were invited,'' Davidson said.

That was right before spring break, which gave them only about three weeks to prepare. ''That's the entertainment world,'' Davidson said. ``Sometimes you have very short notice.''

The kids rehearsed with Aiken for the first time the afternoon of the show.

''It was unworldly,'' 18-year-old Krop senior Natalie Schapiro said. ``It was so cool.''

She said Aiken's personality made the experience all the better.

''I was pleasantly surprised with Clay Aiken,'' said Schapiro, who has been accepted to Florida State University's School of Music to study opera. ``There are 30 of us and he shook all our hands. That's how I want to act when I'm famous.''

Simply being a member of the Lightning Singers didn't earn a spot on stage with Aiken. He could only take 30. The Lightning Singers are 90 students large, so Davidson held an audition.

They were judged on pitch, accuracy, dynamics, tone quality and memorization. Given the talent pool, the choice was difficult. The Lightning Singers all recently received straight superior (the best) ratings at the Florida District Music Assessments.

The teenagers lounged around backstage before the show. Some slept, others played cards and still others sat on the floor in their tuxedos chatting about school and what it will be like when they're famous.

If any were nervous, they wouldn't admit it.

''If you love what you do, there's no fear,'' 18-year-old Krop senior Christopher Clark said.

They held up that fierce attitude onstage before a crowd of serious Aiken fans.

''Claymates'' is a term coined to describe diehard Aiken fans.

One of them, Donna Cusolito, flew in from Plaistow, N.H., to see her 20th Aiken performance. She once sent Aiken's dog a hat.

''The kids were great,'' Cusolito said. ``You could tell Clay and the kids really connected.''

After the show, Aiken, a former special education teacher and mentor, led the students through a couple of more verses of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

It was that one-on-one rapport they developed with the pop star that seamed to have the greatest affect on the high school students.

''He's not like regular pop stars,'' 16-year-old Krop sophomore Ron Barhai said. ``He treats us like regular people, like adults.''

For others, like 18-year-old senior Gaby Jacobo, who has been accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the admiration was more technical.

''He knows the fundamentals of music, and that's so important that he doesn't just yell into a mic,'' Jacobo said. ``It was exhilarating.''