“Music can contain the story of the performer and express their personality; it’s quite amazing”
Learning Music From an Early Age Speaking of learning, interestingly enough, music class is mandatory for all students up until graduation in Haley’s home country. While a lot of students are musically inclined in a variety of areas, many seek to develop their skills on the piano. Haley remembers her first piano—a grand, white one given to her by her dad. “The piano was my first instrument to learn, and that’s when I found out that I had potential in music,” she recalled. Haley’s dad was thrilled that she was so talented; however, she felt that she was consistently pushed a bit hard to play; therefore, she lost much of her original desire to play the instrument. Haley stopped playing for a considerably long time before finally finding her way back to her first musical love several years ago. Prior to moving from Korea,
Haley developed a real interest in musical theatre and enjoyed various performances. She felt that it would be a great fit for her, allowing her to further her musical endeavors in a splendidly different way. “I wanted to do musical theatre; I fell in love with it and wanted to do it,” she said. Eventually, Haley took to the stage. Loosely based on Puccini’s opera La Boheme, the popular musical Rent by Jonathan Larson is one of Haley’s favorite musicals, as she was privileged to take part in a production while in Korea. “It was my very first stage experience out of school. I was fascinated with the work. I did so much research on it; I read so many papers and articles about it and its composer that I felt like I knew him. It has been many years since I was in the show, but I can still deeply connect with the story, characters and music,” Haley commented.
Finding Her Way Haley eventually moved to Washington and enrolled at Pierce College, initially planning to pursue a nursing degree. She remembers an experience that changed those plans and, consequently, helped alter the overall course of her life. “One day, I was walking by the choir room, and I just wanted to be in there. That was the day that changed my life,” she said. Dr. Kenneth Owen, who was the choir conductor and chair of the music department, noticed Haley’s attentive observation. He later encouraged her to audition; indeed, she did and was selected. Dr. Owen was an enormous help to Haley, even assisting her in obtaining a music scholarship. She sang in the choir for about three years and truly enjoyed it. Dr. Owen also recommended Haley to her very first voice instructor, Ms.
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