Cyndi Charlemagne, Professional Music and Song Techniques

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"My Mum says when I was little I used to sing in a closet… It may take time to find out what you really want to do."

"I always loved music," states Cyndi Charlemagne, Professional Music and Song Techniques student, "but at seventeen you follow what your parents say. So first I did a DEC in graphics at another Cegep. But I struggled to finish the program because it wasn't what I wanted to do."

Choosing the wrong program - it's a story that gets played out a lot because it is hard to chose the right program. Parents don't always understand. They want what's best for their children which usually means a program that will lead to university or a job. But if you're like Cyndi that first love may never go away.

After graduating with her first DEC, Cyndi worked but never found a full-time job. So she signed up for Culture X, a community program in Montreal North centered on teaching young people music.

"I took piano lessons and singing lessons, and learned how to write songs and record them." The more she was involved in music, the more she felt it was what she wanted to do. But she still lacked the confidence to come back to school and to admit she wanted a singing career. But a Carrefour Emploi Jeunesse project changed that.

"As part of this project I traveled to Guatemala to work with school children for a few weeks. What I saw were people who had very little but who smiled all the time and who were warm and happy. I asked myself: What am I looking for? What would make me happy? And that's when I finally realized deep inside me, I had to study music."

"Coming to Vanier to study music is the best decision I ever made! This was a new beginning for me! I chose to study Jazz singing because I didn't know that much about Jazz. I'd done R and B and Soul, but Jazz was "mysterious". It was absolutely the right choice."

"I've grown so much since coming into the program. I've learned about my voice and about myself. And Vanier is such a "cool" place, including the teachers! The people are warm and welcoming. I'm curious, so I ask questions. I ask my teachers about music and about life. School is one thing, but life after you graduate is something else."

"Singing is so profound. It comes from inside. It's something you share with people. It's about truth. As I become a stronger singer, I become a stronger person. I've worked harder in the music program at Vanier, than I ever worked at anything else in my life. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end."

"I've had doubts about myself, but I'm more and more sure of my choice. I believe if you love something you'll find a way to make it work. Sometimes I ask myself: Do I have what it takes? But I have this feeling inside me and I can go on stage and sing in front of 1,000 people. I'm nervous, but at Vanier I've acquired the tools to cope."

"Cyndi Charlemagne is remarkable for her commitment to her program, her teachers and her fellow students," says Nadia Turbide, Coordinator of the Music Department. "She was chosen to be the jazz singer of the Vanier College 40th Anniversary Big Band Concert this year with host Oliver Jones, and has also been stage manager for all the 2010-2011 Wednesday noon concerts and a volunteer at individual evening concerts in the Vanier Auditorium. And her first DEC in graphic design will be useful to her for publicity materials once she has her own singing career!"