Bloomington Edge Dancer Rachel lives, and gives, a life of music

As a musical director at an elementary school, Rachel utilizes the “Orff Schulwerk” method, which combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to a child’s world of play. Rachel not only teaches this unified view of arts and life, she lives life with an “Orff Schulwerk” approach! With a degree in voice, playing guitar and piano, and having lead roles in plays, Rachel has added dancing for the IFL Bloomington Edge and PBL Central Illinois Drive Dance Teams to complete her own life of music. Singing, dancing, acting, teaching, and being a wife and mom to a little boy seem like way enough, but luckily for Bloomington’s indoor football and basketball fans, Rachel also takes her talents to pro cheer/dance. Rachel shared with UltimateCheerleaders parts of her musical life’s journey, including how performing in a play staged next to a zoo can provide unexpected sensory experiences, and why you might want to give her a call if you are planning a wedding.

Rachel is an Illinois native, as she recalls, “I grew up out in the country about forty-five minutes from the Bloomington area, in a small town called Fairbury. We had livestock when I was a kid, so I spent a lot of time out playing in the barn and with the animals.”

The animals probably heard some singing along the way, as music surrounded much of Rachel’s young life, as she remembers, “My mom plays the piano for church and my aunt sings with a small women’s group, as well as plays the piano. My mom worked Saturdays when I was growing up, so we used to go down to my grandma’s. She had a piano, so I would get out my mom’s and aunt’s old piano books and give little concerts in my grandma’s living room. I guess I was a self-inspired musician. The piano always interested me, the same with singing. I didn’t really go any further with singing until I was in Junior High. Then I joined chorus and did solo & ensemble. I think that was when my interest went more towards singing.”

While she was growing up, Rachel’s family dealt with the challenges of a caring for a loved one that required extensive attention. “I had one other sibling, Megan, who was born with a rare genetic disorder,” Rachel explains. “She was pretty much an infant her entire life. She could never walk or talk or do much on her own. In a sense, I was an only child, not that I didn’t have a sibling, but I never was able to do the things that most siblings get to do because her of disability. My parents spent much of their time taking care of my sister. My parents both loved me and I think that much of my independence as an adult comes from that experience as a child. She passed away when I was in eighth grade.”

But music provided Rachel an outlet for performance and creativity, and the life lessons to learn from mistakes, for instance in her first public singing performance. “In seventh grade I performed ‘Baby Mine’ from ‘Dumbo’ at Solo & Ensemble. I messed up the words and ended up getting a second place. I was really mad at myself for doing that. I don’t think I ever messed up any words after that.”

Rachel’s singing continued as she participated in various groups during high school in addition to her church choir. Rachel studied at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and sang with the University Singers, University Choir, and Women’s Glee Club, prior to graduating with a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education.

Rachel’s musical talents also include playing piano and guitar, and applying her singing talents to the stage. “I took piano lessons starting in second or third grade,” explains Rachel. “I am an adequate piano player, but I guess my real passion is for singing. I did five musicals when I was in school: ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat,’ a dancer in ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ Marty in ‘Grease,’ Sprintze in ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ and my senior year, I was the Evil Step Mother in ‘Cinderella.’ I never really had any major rolls until I was an adult.”

“After college I was Peter Pan in ‘Peter Pan,’ Maria in ‘West Side Story,’ and Mrs. MacAfee in ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’” Rachel continues. “The funny part about that is first I did ‘West Side Story’ in 2007, and my leading man was a senior in high school, and I was 24 at the time. The worst part of it was that his dad was the director. It was kind of awkward kissing him. The weird part of it is that when I did ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ the dad was my ‘husband,’ playing Mr. MacAfee.”

So Rachel, when playing Peter Pan, did you get to soar over the stage? “Ha,” laughs Rachel. “No, I actually wore ‘wheelies,’ the tennis shoes that have the wheels in the back of them. The theatre is basically a garage on a big cement platform, so there are very limited special effects. It was outdoors and by the zoo. It was very hot during our performances, and if the wind was just right, you got a great whiff of the animals at the zoo.”

So, with all of this performance and activity, is Rachel a big sports fan, or more into participating rather than watching? “I would have to say that I’m really not that big of a sports fan,” admits Rachel. “I took gymnastics as a kid, not dance, and the only thing available to me in school was cheerleading. I actually didn’t even make cheerleading my seventh grade year. I did in eighth grade through my senior year of high school. I definitely am a mover. I’ve always enjoyed dance and gymnastics. I wish that I would have taken dance as a child to have better technique as an adult, but that wasn’t available to me. I like performing. That is what lures me to cheerleading and dancing. I don’t do them for people to watch me necessarily, like my family, but I like to be in front of a crowd.”

If she has to pick some favorite teams, Rachel says, “I guess by default I’m a Bears fan. If not, my husband would kill me. I don’t really like to watch the games with him because he gets way too into it. My grandparents are Cubs fans.”

Rachel sings, dances, acts, play instruments; so who are her musical influences and heroes? “I don’t know that I really have musical influences,” Rachel contemplates. “I didn’t have cable growing up, so I was limited on my resources. I listened to a lot of classic rock because that is what my dad listened to.” Any favorite concerts by other performers? Rachel answers, “There are a couple of concerts that I’ve been to which I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve always been a big Dave Matthews fan. I was able to see him and Tim Reynolds in concert at Purdue. I camped out overnight in February to get those tickets. I can’t say I would ever do it again, but it was a great concert. I’ve also seen a Metallica concert, which was awesome!”

So with teaching, singing, being a wife and mom, it seems like such a full plate for Rachel. What does pro dance add to her life, in that she not only dances for football’s Edge, but also added Drive basketball this year? “I’ve always wanted to be a ‘dancer,’ but like I said, I’ve never really done dance,” replies Rachel. “We did some with cheerleading, and I did some whenever I did musicals, but never straight up dance. I took a semester of ballet and jazz in college. That was it. Before I auditioned, I had said something to my husband about it. He must not have really believed me. He was a bit taken aback when I told him I made it.”

New to pro cheer/dance last season, Rachel felt like she had a lot to learn. “Last year was a bit of a struggle for me,” admits Rachel. “I don’t pick things up as quickly as the other girls. I had to get over the fact that I wasn’t ever going to leave a practice, having a dance down. I have to practice at home. I actually have to record anything new that I learn; otherwise I really won’t be able to practice it at home either.”

But like her seventh grade singing experience, Rachel worked through her rookie dancing challenges for indoor football, and made the squad again this season for year two, plus added dancing for the Drive basketball team when they started this past season. In addition, now both the football and basketball teams added halftime performances to the Dance Team’s agenda, so even more routines for Rachel. “This year has been a big switch because now we do twice as many dances per game with our halftime routines,” explains Rachel. “Had I not been on the squad last year, I don’t know that I could have stuck it out this year. This year has been a challenge with the number of basketball games and some of them being only a few days apart. There were a few weeks when my husband was getting pretty upset with the number of practices we had, but we managed.”

“I can’t decide which team I like better,” Rachel contemplates. “There are things about basketball games that I prefer; it’s a bit more like cheerleading because we do some sidelines, and we’re closer to the crowd, so it seems a little more personal in a sense. The games are a bit shorter too, which helps with my family life. The football games are a lot of fun and I much prefer dancing on the turf than the gym floor.”

One of the other forms of artistic expression that Rachel performs is being a wedding singer; check out her site at www.centralillinoisweddingsinger.com. Weddings are hot on reality TV and have can range from simple to royal-tastic. What advice does Rachel have for newly engaged people to have a successful wedding? “The only advice that I can offer is that your wedding day lasts only a few hours, so don’t go overboard and spend an arm and a leg,” Rachel says. “Don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy the day because it will be over before you even realize it happened.”

Once in a great while, things may not go expressly as planned during weddings and even Rachel’s little boy needed a little help with the ‘script’ during a recent ceremony. “My son was a ring bearer this past December,” Rachel remembers. “He’s pretty shy and I knew he wasn’t going to walk down the aisle. I was singing the processional and he wouldn’t even leave my side to go wait with the bride. It was a good thing I had a cordless microphone. I ended up walking him down the aisle while singing the processional.”

As a music teacher in an elementary school, certainly Rachel must also see shyness in some students when it comes to performing. How can Rachel bring out the joy of music from kids that are hesitant? “My classroom is very laid back and non-threatening,” explains Rachel. “I don’t force the kids to sing. I give them the opportunity, and if they want to they can, and if not, no big deal. Sometimes they join in and sometimes they don’t. I actually have a little kindergartener this year whose mom told me that he doesn’t like to sing. For about the first half of the year he didn’t. He’s sung by himself on numerous occasions now. Never force a child to do something they don’t want to do, give them time and encourage them and they will come around.”

And Rachel’s classroom reflects this approach to music education. Instead of chairs, students sit on a semi-circle of mats on the floor, in a large and open room with an array of instruments lining the perimeter. Xylophones, bells, drums, recorders, guitars, and a piano are all available in the classroom of Rachel, who also has a master’s degree in music education from Illinois State.

The popularity of TV’s ‘Glee’ has been a mixed bag for music educator Rachel, as she says, “I like ‘Glee.’ I don’t think the show is really appropriate for kids, but I enjoy it. It’s brought some decent music to the forefront, but then kids want to sing that. They still have a difficult time accepting the classics. I always tell them that I’m here to teach them. Why should they do stuff that they already know?”

Besides teaching, wedding singing, and pro dancing, Rachel is also a mom and wife. During college, Rachel didn’t make the school cheerleading squad, but that may have been good thing in the long-term. “I had tried out for cheerleading and didn’t make it,” explains Rachel. “I also dated my husband through college and had I been on a team at that time, it’s possible that we might not have ended up getting married. I’m glad that things worked out the way they did.”

Rachel’s husband is not one to understand the appeal of the lure of ‘performance,’ but her time on the court and sidelines has some advantages. “My husband thinks I’m crazy,” Rachel says. “He’s not the performing type. He likes the outdoors and football. I would say that this hobby is something that he enjoys more so than when I was in a choir or musical. At least he can go to a football or basketball game and drink a beer. He also is in volleyball and basketball through work, so we take turns spending time with our son and each doing our own thing.”

Rachel’s little boy is starting to show the signs of loving music and his mom’s abilities. “My son enjoys singing and he likes for me to get the ‘tar,’ guitar, out and play ‘Old McDonald’ for him.”

As a music educator, who inspired Rachel when she was a student to add music to her life to the degree that she became a teacher herself? Rachel answers, “I would say Mrs. Williams inspired me to come into teaching and singing. Her first year at my school was when I was in seventh grade. She inspired a passion for music and performing that I don’t think I really knew about until her.”

And inspired by her own teacher, Rachel now allows children to have a classroom that in essence is a blank canvas of a stage, in which her students can add their own brushstrokes of singing, dance, and musicianship. In her own life, Rachel’s personal stage extends from her own classroom to theatres, wedding ceremonies, and Bloomington’s US Cellular Coliseum, where she can be seen dancing on turf or the court. And also right back home, where she can take out her guitar and perform ‘Old McDonald’ for a little adoring fan. No doubt, Rachel inspires a next generation of Illinois children to see the range of performance through her own wide range of creative outlets.

Thanks so much to Rachel to sharing the beat of her musical life! And also huge thanks to Dance Team Coordinator Stacy Terry (for both the Edge and the Drive) and Edge/Drive co-owner Scott Henderson for all of their assistance! There are more photos of Rachel from her double-header day of a Drive afternoon game followed by an Edge night game here at this link.