Meet Warwick’s Artist of the Week: Kayli Decker

“Always! I’ve always just loved listening to music and singing along,” said Warwick Valley Middle School eighth-grader Kayli Becker. She remembers singing along to her favorite songs as far back as second grade, but also said that the recorded evidence of her passion for music goes back even further.

“It was close to this time of year; I was two years old,” Becker said, setting the scene. “My mom has a video she took of me sitting on our stairs, singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Nowadays, Becker’s numerous musical influences include singers like Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, and Sia, and the band Arctic Monkeys. In fourth grade, Becker brought her hobby of singing at home into school, when she and her Park Avenue classmates began singing together in class. When Becker hit fifth grade, she officially joined the chorus and has been performing with a district vocal ensemble every year since.

“Kayli has such an incredible singing voice and, I hope more people can learn about the gift she possesses,” said WVMS Chorus Director Shane Peters. “The tone of her voice is uniquely beautiful and it’s something that can’t stay hidden from the world. Her short solos in concert only leave the audience wanting more.”

Peters said he appreciates the strong presence that Becker has had in the chorus over the past few years. She became a soloist last year and recently wowed an audience of holiday concert goers with another of her solo performances during the Winter Concert.

Becker’s love of music and performance has led her to put in a lot of time practicing her craft, even taking voice lessons from sixth grade right up until the end of last year. Becker finds the practice rewarding, but there are two specific opportunities she enjoys most about being in chorus.

“Really, what I love is that I get to sing every other day, and that I get to sing with a big group of people,” Becker smiled. “We all sound amazing together! So, I think that’s really fun, getting to work with other people.”

This year, Becker is preparing a solo for the Orange County Music Educators Association All-County Festival. Looking ahead to all of the musical opportunities waiting for her next year at the high school, she knows chorus will remain her focus, but is also considering giving herself some new personal challenges.

“Well, I want to try out for all the solos,” Becker said, adding that she also has a growing interest in musical theater. “I’ve been wanting to try out [in elementary and middle school], but I’m not really the type of person to act and stuff, so I’ve never really gotten the courage to do it. But, I think I am going to go out for drama club!”

She’s also looking to get her music into more ears, even considering posting performances on social media. For now, though, she is enjoying her time with the WVMS chorus and the collaborative opportunities it affords her.

“It’s really fun to be working with other people and just seeing how we all can come together and sing something,” Becker added. “And, I think Mr. Peters does such a good job teaching us; he’s my favorite!”

“As Kayli gets ready to leave us for high school, she’s growing more and more as a talented vocalist,” said Peters. “She’s going to be unstoppable. I am so proud of her!”