Students showcase talent at RM Idol
December 4, 2018
On Friday, Nov. 30, students across all grade levels gathered in the auditorium for RM Idol, an event organized by RM’s Fine Lines literary magazine. After a series of student performances, freshman Ziya Jackson was named winner, with senior Rachel Frampton as runner-up and senior Elena Yeatts-Lonske as third place.
Jackson won first place with her performance of Beyonce’s “Listen.” Frampton and Yeatts-Lonske performed “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson.
Junior Tudor Postolache, accompanied by junior Christine Zhu on the piano, opened the show with “Your Song” by Elton John. Afterwards, students showcased their own talents by either singing or accompanying their peers on instruments.
Many of the performers agreed that they loved music from a very young age and changed the courses of their lives. “I grew up with a lot of musical influences in my house—my parents would play black Cameroonian music, my dad also absolutely loves Motown classics, along with more contemporary American music,” senior Maureen Zeufack said. “I grew up always singing songs around the house and even writing and coming up with my own songs to sing.”
For the show, performers selected their songs carefully and considered a variety of factors, such as their own voice and how it would connect with the audience members. “I choose my song [‘I Feel the Earth Move’ by Carole King] for this performance because I wanted to do something energetic and challenging,” Frampton said. “I have performed a lot of songs on stage, but never anything like that one. To do the song justice, I really had to let myself out there and have no fear.”
Prior to the show, contestants practiced in front of their friends and family in preparation. They all worked particularly hard to memorize lyrics, connect with the music, and gather the confidence to sing in front of a filled auditorium.
“I would say that it takes a fair amount of practice to ensure success so that you are prepared enough, but it is more important that you really connect with the song and feel confident in your abilities, Frampton said. “Even if you practice 4 hours a day, if you don’t have a connection to the song, your performance will not be meaningful.”
Many contestants also relied on inspirational figures in their life for motivation to pursue music. “My parents, especially my dad, have been the biggest mentors in my life and in my musical career,” sophomore Saanika Mahashetty said. “They have supported me so much and pushed me to achieve what I have achieved today and I can’t thank them enough for that.”
All in all, the annual RM Idol show provided students with an outlet to showcase their talents and share their music with parents, staff and fellow peers.
“Some advice I have for future people who are thinking of doing RM Idol is to just do it,” junior Kayla Perry said. “No matter how scared you are or if you think you aren’t good enough just get out there and do it. Take the risk because I can’t even begin to explain how good you’ll feel afterwards and just how supportive all of RM is.”
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