Akira Harris, MPS singer, contest winner
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Life can take us places where the unexpected happens. Relocating to the big city of Milwaukee during her high school years wasn't easy for one small town girl, but it's a move this young singer's now forever grateful for.
"I sang Mulan a lot. I loved Mulan. And I loved Frozen," said Akira Harris, Milwaukee High School of the Arts senior.
Akira Harris and her mom recall this day as a special one.
"There was kind of a recital and she said mom, you have to come really early so you can get a front seat. The music teacher comes in early and she says your child made me cry and I was like, what did she do? Right, like I didn't realize, it was because how beautifully she sang," said Pamela Harris, mom.
It's a beautiful gift Pamela Harris says no one else in the family has.
"It was an absolute fluke because none of us sing. And then the show started and she got the solo piece. You could hear all the other little kids and they sounded fine, but this little girl sounded like she had the voice of an angel," said her mom.
Akira's talent may not be a heavenly gift, but rather the product of years of hard work and encouragement from teachers she met along the way.
"In first grade I lived in New York and I was a new kid and my first ever music teacher, her name was Miss Boden. She had us singing all in a circle and we had to sing this one part and then it would go to the next person, all in a circle and when it came to my turn, I was terrified," said Akira.
Miss Boden allowed Harris to sing privately, then told her something she hadn't heard before.
"And she was like oh you have like such an amazing voice. Don't ever be shy to sing out," said Akira.
Words of encouragement, a profound impact on the shy six-year-old.
"She saw something in me that other people didn't and I just, because of her, I'm singing like if she hadn't told me that I probably wouldn't be singing," said Akira.
Years passed. The Harris family moved from New York to Massachusetts, and once again, a music teacher became a strong mentor.
"In middle school I had a teacher named Miss Weesa and she was, like, I loved her so much. I think every teacher that I have ever had has been so impactful in my life and like, helped me continue to sing and just chug along and keep doing it. They're the reason that I continue to sing today and if it weren't for them, I definitely would not be singing," said Akira.
But none has been quite as impactful as her latest choir director, Raymond Roberts, at Milwaukee High School of the Arts.
"And when I came here, I was very intimidated because I was singing in a room with people who were just like crazy talented," said Akira.
This Milwaukee public school, as its name implies, places great emphasis on the arts.
"I have three music classes in my schedule. I have opera workshop, advanced choir and vocal jazz. I mean it's really like the thing that motivates me to go to school. And then I'll go and I'll do some Spanish and then I'm singing and then I'll do some history and then I'm singing. It's just, it's so fun," said Akira.
The Milwaukee High School of the Arts got started in 1984 with just 120 students. Now with a student body of 900, its solid reputation has gained attention nationwide.
Moving out of state and leaving friends behind at 16 wasn't easy, but that she landed at the Milwaukee High School of the Arts has made all the difference.
"I think if I was still in Massachusetts, I probably wouldn't be singing at the level that I am now. I was in choir, but it was very small. It was like 12 kids and because there weren't that many kids, I was kind of forced to sing tenor a lot because we didn't have, we had like one boy in our class," said Akira.
From thinking she could only sing tenor to this. In December, Harris sang soprano as her class got to perform an opera at Milwaukee's Basilica of St. Josaphat.
The Basilica was really a, just such an amazing experience. There were like a thousand people there. I didn't think I could do it either. I just auditioned and it was a soprano so I was like "Mother" - in the opera. Did it go really high? Yea. Oh wow, did you know you could sing that high? No (giggles), I had no idea," said Akira.
"And I think she sees that people believe in her, that there's other very talented students that she goes to school with that they push each other, that they help each other be better," said her mom.
"She will record herself. She will hear where there might be a note that's out of place. She will hone in on that and then just practice, practice, practice," said her mom.
…practicing at school and at home.
"To be able to hit higher notes that she never knew that she could hit and to have the confidence to kind of strive, to have the growth that she's had," said Pamela.
"I used to like freak out and I'd be like shaking and shaking and shaking, but now I'm just like ok," said Akira.
This year, Harris submitted a Young Arts contest entry with the song, "All I Ask" by Adele and the help of Mr. Roberts, and she won.
"If there's one way to describe her, she's driven and when she kind of sets her mind to doing anything, she is willing to work as hard as it takes to accomplish it," said her mom.
A total of 700 students in grades 10-12 were selected among some nine thousand applicants nationwide.
"And I ran to Mr. Roberts and I was like, is this real, like, is this? And he was like, yea, you won. He is like an amazing teacher. I don't think I've ever had a teacher like Roberts, ever, like you can tell he really cares. He just really wants everything to be the best that it can be," said Akira.
"And I think back to when we thought of her name and her name means you know, brilliant, kind of like sunshine, and when I see her sing, like I feel that, like I feel that sunshine sort of radiating from her, so I'm just so proud of her," said her mom.
"I know that I just want to make myself proud at the end of the day and that's why I work so hard," said Akira.