Who has auditioned for and participated in over three regional and and state honor choirs? Nathan Devaughan. Nathan has been involved with Western Oklahoma Choral Directors Association Honor Choir, South Western Oklahoma Honor Choir, and Oklahoma Music Educators Association All-State. Nathan is a senior at Weatherford High School and has been participating in choir for four years; auditioning originally with a fun, personal rendition of the ABC’s.
The highest moment so far in his musical career has been making All-State Choir in 2024 with his best friend Grayson Hale. Nathan loves choir because he loves to sing, and because he loves the people and the environment. “Together, the students and teacher make up the choir environment, and like a machine, with all its working parts, the choir comes together to build a whole community inside of a singular classroom,” Nathan says. He originally took choir to complete his fine arts credit to graduate, but he loved it and it even brought out his more outgoing side. His favorite choir moment was performing Shrek: The Musical.
Nathan’s favorite teachers are Coach Mickey and Ms. Warren, because Coach Mickey influenced his enjoyment of history, and Ms. Warren because she is the reason that he started singing in the first place. After high school, Nathan plans to go to college to pursue a degree in business finance. For fun, he likes to play video games, act in musicals, target shoot with his brother, and karate.
Nathan says that being a good choir member requires skill and collaboration. “Bring a good mood to the classroom and lift other up, but stay focused on the music in front of you,” he says. His biggest positive impact has been his brother, Kaleb. “We’ve always been close. I couldn’t ask for a better brother, influence, and friend,” Nathan says. His biggest role model is his dad, for shaping Nathan into the man he is today and always being someone that Nathan could look up to.
His advice to fellow vocalists is to keep singing, and if you don’t feel a sense of community within your choir, see if you can be the one to create it.
By Ariel Casida
