Vikki True: Our Singing Muse
by Sarita Orobio ’11 - 28 Nov 2007
Closing her eyes, she sways back and forth, humming along with the piano, and tapping her feet in time with the music. She raises her hand, counts out loud and launches into the song again, this time gesturing for us to sing along with her. Her beautiful, rich voice fills the room, making it seem more alive than ever.
Vikki True comes to our school every Wednesday to teach our chorus class. We are lucky to be taught by such a gifted woman. She tells us about the new exciting pieces we will work on and asks for our opinion. She wants to know what we think of the pieces, or if there is anything that we would really like to sing, and she takes all our suggestions seriously, forming a mélange of songs that we all like.
On a sunny Wednesday after school, Vikki and I sit down on a warm sunlit rock while I asked her about her work and her life.
***
SO: When did you first begin singing and performing?
VT: I started singing when I was eighteen months old. My first dance performance was when I was three, and I had my first solo when I was six. I have always loved the arts.
SO: When did you first get serious about music?
VT: I became seriously involved with music when my father died. I did not know how to express my grief and singing was my only outlet. I began singing in coffee houses when I was fourteen, and got my first paying job at fifteen. I started school when I was four and graduated from high school in Louisville, Kentucky.
SO: I have heard that you have sung or performed with some really interesting people and groups.Could you name a few of them?
VT: I was the soloist for the Albany Symphony and just last May I was the guest soloist for a 180-person choir that performed at the Colonial Theater. I have also sung with Taj Mahal, Pete Seeger, and Ani di Franco. I toured France singing jazz, and I have participated in many jazz and folk festivals. I have also made six or seven CDs.
I have sung backup, arranged, and written music since the 70`s. I toured the south with a rock and roll band. In Minnesota I worked five hours a day, six days a week, fifty weeks a year with a show band. I did that for about three years. We also rehearsed three or four times a week.
I did not finish my degree when I was young but I returned to Mount Holyoke College, where I received a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in music and theatre. I graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. I now belong to the National Association of Teachers of Music and the International Association of Jazz Instructors.
SO: Why did you decide to work at a Waldorf school and when was your first association with this Waldorf School?
VT: My first association with the school was in 1988 because my stepchildren attended the school. I have also done benefit concerts for the school. Working with children that went to a Waldorf school excited me. I found that Steiner kids have a deeper sense of themselves, and I like working in a partnership. I find that I get good and honest feedback that I can use. It is really a joy for me.
SO: Is there anything else that you would like to say? Do you have any last thoughts that you want to include?
VT: Yes, there is a line from one of my songs that has become like a little mantra that I go by:
"Whatever song you sing,
Whatever song you sing,
Sing with all your heart
And dance right out your shoes.”
***
Ms. True tells us over and over how fortunate she is to be able to teach us, but I think we are the fortunate ones. The woman who started out as a young dancer and singer from Kentucky has forged a path for herself in the performing arts world that has led her straight to us. Yes, we definitely are fortunate to have such an amazing woman as our teacher, and we all appreciate the effort she makes for our small school.
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