Three years old and singing along with the radio, senior Isabel (Izzy) Westercamp has always had a passion for music.
Izzy’s passion for singing grew when her parents signed her up for Choir through Orchestra Iowa to get her started with singing. Since then, she has been majorly involved in music programs.
“She participated in Old Creamery Camps when she was younger, where they put on a summer play/musical each year,” Izzy’s mother, Jessica Westercamp, said. “She loved this, and it helped build her desire to perform beyond music and introduced her to theatre. From there, we just continued to support her in any opportunity she pursued regarding singing and performing.”
At eight years old, Izzy started piano lessons. At ten, she began singing lessons from the same instructor, Nancy Patrick. Today, Patrick continues to help Izzy improve her performance.
“She comes once a week for a half-hour lesson,” Patrick said. “We begin with vocal exercises, working with the anatomy of singing, including diaphragm breathing, tongue and jaw placement, and the physical body, working toward proper singing.”
During Izzy’s freshman year, she joined Protégé, and just a year later, joined Kennedy’s varsity show choir, Happiness Inc. It wasn’t until her senior year that her performance was recognised as memorable.
“It was after ‘Jealousy, Jealousy.’ Usually, the piano starts, but it didn’t,” Izzy said. “Luckily for me, I had practiced the songs so much that I already knew when to sing. I was hesitant to start, but then I heard my director from the audience yell, ‘Izzy! Go!’ We ended up doing the whole ballad as an accapella.”
After the first competition at Linn Marr, Izzy won the award for Best Soloist– and didn’t stop there. At Linn Marr, Prairie, Washington, Indianola, and Liberty, Izzy swept the competitions and won Best Soloist.
After high school, Izzy plans to major in musical theatre in hopes of pursuing professional theatre.
“When Izzy told us she wanted to pursue musical theatre as a career after high school, there was no question that we would continue to support her journey,” Jessica said. “The fine arts department at Kennedy is full of some really special people. It’s been wonderful to see her grow, especially over the last four years.”
