You’ve probably heard senior Molly Jones singing at numerous KO concerts, choir exhibitions, or “epic” coffeehouses. Molly has fostered this passion for singing throughout her childhood and her time at KO.
Molly said that she’s been singing since kindergarten because she was inspired by her dad, who loves music. Now, she is currently part of the school Concert Choir, the girls a capella group Oxfordians, and the select co-ed choir ensemble Outlook. She Said she loves to sing because it’s a different way to express herself. “I love all different types of music. There’s something really special about singing and it’s beautiful to me,” Molly said.
She explained that her favorite genre is pop because people know them the best, but that she also likes choral songs because of their emotion and beauty. “This year, my favorite song in Outlook may be ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’” she said. One thing Molly said she especially likes about being part of choirs is that she’s been able to meet people from all grades and become friends with both younger and older students each year. “For example, I was able to become friends with people two years older than me when I was a sophomore in Outlook,” she said.
Throughout her time at KO in the Middle and Upper Schools, Molly said she has been able to gain more confidence in her voice through the help of different teachers. Outlook director David Baker said that Molly has been part of the choir since Upper Prep and has grown tremendously since then, not only in her range and choral decisions, but also in terms of her confidence. “She asks great questions now about music and really thinks about [the form, instruction, and emotion] of the song,” he said. “She is super dedicated and loves to be involved in singing in all our ensembles.” Similarly, Oxfordians director Steve Mitchell described Molly as an intelligent, humble, and talented singer. He said that she’s grown into a true leader in the Oxfordians, has helped greatly with rehearsals, and even stepped up as a student conductor several times. “It has been a privilege to work with Molly over these past four years, and I could not be more proud of the musician and leader she has become,” he said.
Molly said that one of her favorite singing memories at KO was the Wyvern Invitational A Cappella Festival (WIAF) last year because she loved being with the group and singing with them. Other fond memories that she has include the epic Coffeehouses, especially this year when she sang with friend and fellow singer senior Remy McCoy, and this past summer’s choir trip to Germany, where she enjoyed performing in churches and cathedrals.
As for the future, Molly said she plans on singing at Class Night as a wrap up of her KO music career. Though her final performance will be sad, she is excited to perform one last time at KO.
