Singing Her Way To State: Danielle Helgeson Is This Week’s All-Star Student [VIDEO]

KIMBALL - This week our All-Star Student, Danielle Helgeson, sings her way to state from Kimball High School. She has been singing in choir since elementary school. Now, she is one of two seniors in the choir at Kimball. Helgeson has been singing at the state level the past three years bringing home the highest honors.

She says, "With the solo ensemble in ninth and tenth grade I took a state superior. In eleventh grade I was in a duet with Holly, the other senior in choir, and we took a state superior, and large group we won a state superior last year, and the year before."

Arlene Sands is the Kimball Area Vocal Music Specialist. She has taught Helgeson during all of her years in choir.

"I think one of the things that I really noticed about Danielle is she has grown as far as being in the public eye, and being able to do that, and so much more confidence," says Sands, "I had her from Kindergarten, she did start singing solos in elementary. I encouraged her to do that, and she has been doing that ever since."

Sands says Helgeson has become such a great singer that they can use her to sing different parts of the music. Helgeson enjoys the challenge of singing both soprano and alto.

"Alto is a little more challenging not being the harmony as often but then soprano you can get really high so that's also a challenge, but I like to do something that I don't feel super comfortable with," says Helgeson. 

Sands says Helgeson works hard to be the best singer she can be.

"Getting her state superior, she worked very hard. As a junior she picked such a difficult number, and she wanted to do that. She just really wanted to work on that. She worked very, very hard. She's just a hard worker, just kind of a student that any teacher would love to have," says Sands. 

With singing so many songs Helgeson has enjoyed all of them, but there is one that she has particularly enjoyed.

"I really like Hallelujah. We sang that two years ago, and that was a lot of fun to get to know. We are revisiting it this year, but I was a soprano for it the first time I sang it, and this time I'll sing it as an alto, so it's cool to see both sides of the music," says Helgeson.

In the end Helgeson just loves to sing.

"You kind of get to be someone else for a little bit," says Helgeson, "You feel their emotions and how it was written, and you get to put your own emotions into it to. How you connect to a song it different then someone else."

Do you know a student like Danielle that could be our "All-Star Student of the Week?"
It can be any student, in any grade, doing any activity.