Her melodies ring out through the house, the car, the shower and any other space imaginable. Freshman Sophie Dawson never stops singing, and her love for music has no limit. 

Dawson developed a passion for music and singing at an early age, her friends and family learning quickly of her vocal capabilities. She would sing every chance she got, even if it meant putting herself outside of her comfort zone to gain needed support.

 “I’ve always loved singing and listening to music, and once I learned that I had a voice I decided that I wanted to pursue music,” Dawson said. “Even in elementary school, I had a fear of showing my voice in fear that it wouldn’t be good enough, but once I had the courage to post an online video of me singing about two years ago on Snapchat, the fear of judgment lessened.”

Having been training her voice since she was able to sing, Dawson’s vocals developed quickly and expertly with her efforts in school, church, and personal time to better her singing abilities. 

“I sing any chance I get, including in the shower, when I do homework or any time I’m alone,” Dawson said. “There are so many kinds of music that allows emotion to be expressed through, like when I’m sad, I like to sing sad songs, and when I’m happy, I like upbeat songs. Singing makes me feel like I’m in control of my emotions.” 

Dawson began singing at her church, Celebration Church, at the age of thirteen when she was asked to be a worship leader for the kids’ youth service every Sunday morning. During the service, she is on stage with two or three other teens as they perform worship songs for the elementary children of Celebration.

Her passion for singing didn’t stop on Sunday morning hymns. After having had the vocal training for two years from Celebration worship leader Elisha Dorsett, who also teaches music at Summit Christian Academy, Dawson decided to enroll in the CPHS choir this year. 

“I’ve always wanted to expand my options and do something more than just worship at church, which is why I chose to do choir at school and to also help my vocals improve,” Dawson said.  “I’m in the advanced women’s choir, which was at first a mistake because I was supposed to start in the JV class because I’m new to choir, but they liked my voice and decided to keep me. At first, I thought I was too inexperienced to be in the advanced choir, but I caught on quickly enough to keep up with the older girls and sing on their level.”  

Not only has she managed to sing her way to an advanced level at school, but Dawson takes professional accountability for her improvement, constantly testing her limits. Still consistently working with her music coach, she showcased her voice at a recital at Maple Ridge Gracious Retirement Living home on Sept.30 to the residents, family, and other young vocalists that are trained by Dorsett at Summit. With her time in the choir, Dawson has seen major growth in her abilities as a vocalist.

“I’m more controlled with my vocals and I know more music from just being in choir for a short amount of time,” Dawson said. “It’s helped me develop my vocal chords better and help me shape them into more of the sound I’m looking for.” Her dreams and aspirations in music don’t end with choir or voice lessons, for Dawson plans on developing a career out of her art. Dawson uses popular, small-scale pop-stars as inspiration for her dreams of making it big to have an influence on her generation through music.

“I want to take my music far enough to where it can be published, maybe with my own record label,” Dawson said. “I want to make my music relatable to people who are going through the same things that I’m going through so that they know they are not alone. My target audience is people who are looking for answers that can’t seem to find them and who are struggling with their emotions in a lot of areas.”

Dawson has begun to write her own music and lyrics in her work with her advisors at Celebration Church, having the opportunity to record her songs for a Christian album. Her successes thus far have driven her desire to grow, learn, and cultivate her own sound for future influence on her peers. Dawson’s voice continues to ring out throughout her pursuit in music and every day throughout the Dawson household.

“I hope [to] one day to sing in front of an audience full of people and still be able to be humble about it by starting off small and then having a big impact on music.”