Wilde Lake High School’s music department has a fresh new voice this year, and her name is Mrs. Freel! Mrs. Freel is the new choir teacher here at Wilde Lake, bringing over fifteen years of teaching experience and a deep passion for helping students find their own love for choir.
For Mrs. Freel, choir is more than just singing. She emphasizes that choir is a place where students learn skills they aren’t taught or don’t practice elsewhere. “It introduces them to a variety of languages, cultures, and styles, and it teaches them how to really listen for understanding.” Not only is choir about making amazing music – the learning aspect is just as important. When students are exposed to different languages, cultural traditions, and styles through music, choir becomes more than singing songs, rather, it becomes an entire learning experience.
Along with expressing the importance of learning through singing, she also explains the value of choir as a verbal and expressive activity. Although often overlooked, Mrs. Freel emphasizes the importance of verbal expression not only when it comes to communicating with others but also when listening. She believes that learning to listen carefully helps students strengthen the way they communicate, a skill that naturally carries over into performing with confidence in front of an audience. Beyond the choir room, she notes that these same communication skills can be extremely beneficial to students’ success, whether in interviews, presentations, or any career where clear, confident speaking matters.
Mrs. Freel expresses how much she values developing skills through singing that students can apply to many aspects of their lives. “My biggest passion regarding singing is about cultivating the lifelong learner of music in everyone. Whether we think about it or not, we all think about pitch, inflection, rhythm.” She goes on to describe how her true passion for teaching choir lies in bringing out the inner musician in everyone, stating, “Helping everyone become the best lifelong learner of music that they can be drives pretty much every decision that I make for the choir program.”
While teaching choir brings her great joy, Mrs. Freel acknowledges the challenges that come with the job. The most difficult thing she experiences as a choir teacher is the increasing demands coupled with dwindling resources. She states, “Every year, the expectations of teachers’ time and energy and performance increase,” she explains. “We are asked to do more, and we are being given even less to do that job, less time, less support, less funding, and that’s really hard.” Mrs. Freel discusses a challenge that is a reality for many teachers, especially within the performing arts department. Despite these difficulties, what keeps her motivated are her students’ accomplishments. “When I get those little emails from former students that are like, ‘Hey, I auditioned into the top choir at my college,’ or, ‘Mrs. Freel, I just booked my first show!’ all of that is really rewarding.” She goes on to convey the unmatched feeling of hearing that her former students have become teachers themselves. These moments, she says, are what make every challenge worthwhile.
Before stepping into Wilde Lake as a teacher, Mrs. Freel once walked the same halls as a high school student new to Howard County. Fast forward to now, returning to Wilde Lake as a teacher feels nostalgic and inspiring for her. She even describes having a similar reaction to her first impression of Wilde Lake from when she was a student. She remembers feeling impressed by Wilde Lake’s strong sense of community and school spirit, and she still admires the same atmosphere today. “I was impressed with the school spirit among the students and staff members, and just the homey atmosphere of the building,” she recalls. She especially loves the bright, open feeling of the choir room and how the Wilde Lake décor gives the building a cozy, welcoming touch.
When asked what animal she most identifies with, Mrs. Freel chose the capybara, an animal she admires for its calm, expressive, and adaptable nature. “They enjoy both solitude and being social, which describes me pretty well,” she explains. “They even socialize with other species, which is somewhat rare, and they’re very adaptable to different environments.” Just like the capybara, Mrs. Freel brings warmth, balance, and adaptability into her teaching. Her dedication to helping students grow as musicians, and as people, has already made a lasting impact on Wilde Lake’s choir program. With her passion for music and her belief that everyone has an inner musician waiting to be discovered, Mrs. Freel continues to remind students that choir is not only about singing but about connection, confidence, and finding your voice.
