Abilene ISD will be well-represented later this month at the Texas State Solo-Ensemble Contest in Pflugerville with 59 students from Abilene High School and Cooper High School singing in front of judges for all-state recognition.
Among that group are two sets of siblings – one at each school – who will compete for a spot alongside someone they’ve spent their entire lives singing with.
At Cooper, twins Hannah and Heath Reid will represent their school, while junior Caitlin Bowman and her sister, freshman Natalie Bowman, will represent Abilene High.
Those four vocalists are part of AISD’s contingent that will compete for all-state selection at the competition at Pflugerville ISD’s Weiss High School on Monday, May 27. Like the other 55 people from AISD who will compete the last week of May, the Reids and Bowmans earned all-region distinction and a spot in the state contest on Jan. 27 at the Region 6 contest at Abilene Christian University.
Each of the 59 students earned a Division I rating (Superior) at the regional contest, earning a spot in Pflugerville. The Reid twins, sophomores at Cooper, grew up in a musical family and have sung together for years. They work well together, Hannah said, and they challenge each other to work harder.
Heath said he tries to block out who he’s singing with when performing with his sister.
“We sing very well together,” Heath Reid said. “I just really see it as singing with another person because I see (Hannah) at home and we sing together at home. But if we sing together in choir, I’m just singing with another person.”
At the Region 6 contest, Heath Reid learned before his sister sang her solo he made it to the state competition, adding pressure to his sister Hannah’s audition, which was one of the last of the day.
“I knew Heath had already made it to the state competition, which made me a little more nervous,” Hannah said. “But then I thought, “Eh, everything will be OK. Whatever happens, happens.’ But then you stand in front of that judge in the room, and that’s nerve-wracking. It’s always weird to sing for just one person. That always makes me more nervous than singing for a big audience.”
Like the Reids, the Bowmans grew up around music and have sung together since they were young. Now for the first time, they’re together at the state competition.
“I enjoy having Natalie at Abilene High and I can experience my last two years of high school with her,” Caitlin said. “Being in choir together and having the chance to audition at state together is a bonus.”
Natalie is the more outgoing of the Bowman sisters, and, Caitlin said, the better singer.
“I won’t say that about myself because that’s rude,” Natalie said before her sister interjected, “It’s true! She projects more.”
By admission, Natalie is also the more competitive of the two Bowman sisters.
“My motivation has always been to become a better singer,” Natalie said, “because becoming the best I can be is something I always aspire to when I sing. I want to do my best. I’m not over-the-top competitive; I think it’s healthy, but I always want to do my best. It also brings joy and motivation to have a good day. If I had a good day in choir, the rest of my day has been good.”
Caitlin, who reached the state contest last year as a sophomore, said being at her best at this stage of contest season is to be her best and that’s enough.
“I want to sing my best, and that’s what matters to me,” she said. “It’s hard to get a Division 1 rating at the state level. Not many people got a 1 last year, so most people – me included – got a Division 2 rating (outstanding) last year. I just try to go into the room, do my best, and not worry about it too much.”
Singing together comes naturally for the Bowman sisters, especially songs from church or animated movies.
“We sing together quite a bit at church,” Caitlin said. “Or whenever we’re home, we’ll sing church songs together. Sometimes we catch ourselves singing fun songs together, especially Disney songs. We do that a lot. I might be thinking of a song and a minute or two later she (Natalie) will start singing the song. She didn’t know I was thinking about that song. It’s crazy and it probably happens once a week.”
And now – like the other 55 AISD students in the competition – the Bowmans and Reids will sing separately for joint all-state recognition.