Arthella Williams began her career as the Dinos’ choir teacher at Carbon High School (CHS) in 2011. Now, 11 years into her career, Williams has made the decision to step back from teaching to focus on her family.
Williams earned her Bachelor’s Degree at Brigham Young University (BYU) Idaho. She did her student-teaching at West Jordan High School before coming to CHS. While teaching the Dinos, she also earned her Masters Degree from BYU in 2019.
For the past several years, she has also served on the Utah High School Activities Association Adjudication Committee as the only representative for piano, vocal and choral. At CHS, Williams also worked as the music director for a number of musicals before attending graduate school. She also served for several years as the CHS Friends of Rachel club advisor.
During her journey with the Dinos, Williams organized a men’s choir, consisting mainly of freshman, which was added to better accommodate changing voices. A piano lab was also added with beginning and intermediate classes, which Williams stated was great for those that could not afford lessons. She explained that most high schools do not have a piano lab and she is grateful to the Carbon School District and the Community Council for purchasing it.
Choir sizes have also gotten much bigger, such as the Musettes choir that grew from 19 to 45, though the last two years were definitely affected by the pandemic. Williams reminisced about the years she spent teaching hundreds of students at Carbon High.
“Although I’ve enjoyed my time, having irreplaceable experiences with my CHS choir kids, I’m leavings CHS to become a full-time mother,” said Williams. “I’m going from one honorable profession to another. I’m excited to have more time and energy to focus on my family.”
Williams stated that she feels that one of the biggest student accomplishments is when they were in San Diego and the vocal jazz won the festival overall. Following this, they were invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. Following school board approval, they traveled to New York City and Williams credited the experience as a huge highlight.
She also spoke on when the students were able to perform in nursing homes or in an individual’s home following the loss of a loved one. She shared that it is those things, when they are using their talent to bless lives, including their own through service and singing, that highlighted her career.
“I have so many memories within the classroom where we rehearsed, learned, laughed, cried and shared,” said Williams. “I love when they work really hard and they’ve been successful, when they step out of their comfort zone to do a solo, when we shared stories and have heart-to-heart talks.”
Williams stated that the choir students at CHS are wonderful kids and, when thinking of the accomplishments of the students over the years, there are so many.
“From the student who struggled to stay on pitch and then eventually qualified and competed at Region Solo & Ensemble and did well, or the student who was the first person to attend college in his family and it was because of a music scholarship, or the student interested in choir education successfully teaches music to my non-auditioned choir and then conducted the songs at a concert, or the individual students and choirs so excited when they found out they qualified for and won state because of their efforts on their songs, or students that sang solos despite their anxiety, etc,” said Williams.
Williams expressed her love of being a part of giving students the opportunities to learn, experience and grow over the years and stated that she has been forever changed for the better because of them. On the flip side, many of Williams’ students had great things to say about her.
When asked what they have learned from Williams, the students gave many answers, ranging from learning how to be more mature and confident in their singing, to appreciating music in its entirety and and using facial expressions.
“I learned the value of following a conductor in the music who can see more of the holistic performance than the individual, and I learned that singing is done to bless, not impress,” shared one former student. Another stated, “I loved how she made choir fun and especially grew my love toward singing. I never really felt like I was that good of a singer but she encouraged me to explore my vocal abilities and how to grow confidence in myself.”
In a message to her students, Williams stated that she hopes that they know how much happiness they brought into her life and how much she genuinely enjoyed teaching them all. Her love of music pales in comparison to her love of her students and she thanked them for allowing her to teach and be part of their lives.
“Remember, it is your privilege to help others and be the positive difference. And remember, we gain knowledge, skills and talent so we may be better able to bless, not belittle, the lives of those around us,” concluded Williams. “You’ve had opportunities to improve your talent so you can bless others’ lives. Sing to bless!”
