When Michelle Alexander headed off to college, she avoided studying music, even though singing was a big part of her life.
“I didn’t want it to be a career because I was worried at a young age of 18 that if it became work, it would no longer be a passion,” she said.
She eventually learned her career can be her passion, as she has discovered with teaching.
“But when I was younger, I didn’t want to see that as work,” said Alexander, an assistant professor in Health Sciences at Virginia Peninsula Community College. “I just wanted it to be something that could just be for me that I can enjoy; that can be an escape for me.”
At the March 24 inauguration of Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon as the ninth president of VPCC, the college community and others were able to enjoy her singing as she gave an elegant performance of the national anthem. Last year, she performed at graduation.
The origins of her singing can be traced to her mother and grandmother. They would sing to her, then she would sing to them.
“I’ve been singing since I could talk,” Alexander said. “My mom has a tape of me from when I was 2, singing all the songs that she taught me.”
She sang with her church and in high school. She played the piano when she was young, and taught herself how to play the guitar. However, she wouldn’t call herself a guitar player.
Through the years, her family and friends have asked her to sing at weddings and special events, but nothing professionally. She believes a co-worker, although she doesn’t know who, recommended her to last year’s graduation committee. When the inauguration committee was considering performers, they asked her.
She doesn’t get as nervous as she once did. Keeping her emotions in check is hard sometimes, though, and that depends on the event and what song she is singing.
“I’ve never been able to hide my emotion when I sing,” she said. “So I wouldn’t say I get nervous. I would say that there are times when I’m singing at something that is emotionally meaningful for me, and that’s when you start hearing the quiver in my voice.”
Some of the most emotional times for her have come at family events: singing at her son’s baptism, at her church while one of her daughters was dancing, and at her grandmother’s funeral.
The latter, she said, probably was the toughest because her grandmother expressed her wishes for Alexander to sing.
“That was actually really hard, and the song that she requested, ‘The Prayer,’ is a very hard song,” Alexander said, adding one of her cousins sang it with her so that helped.
Through the years, performers have put their own spin on “The Star-Spangled Banner.” And while Alexander said Whitney Houston’s and Chris Stapleton’s versions at Super Bowls were great, don’t expect that from her.
“I’m going to sing it true. I’m going to sing it straight,” she said. “There are certain people who can add liberties to that song. … I’m not one of those.”
Her favorite personal performances, and the ones that stand out to her, are when she accompanied others.
“I just love singing with other people,” she said.
Work and family commitments have prevented her from being part of the College choir, but she did participate in the performance Michael Sundblad put together a few years ago for the College’s virtual graduation. Even though the singers recorded solo versions and they didn’t gather as a group, Alexander enjoyed the experience.
“The whole process of doing that was really fun and different for me,” she said.
She loves that music and the way the notes blend together.
“Those are my favorite performances, not necessarily the ones where I’m the standout,” she said. “They’re the ones where I’ve gotten together with a group of people and made a beautiful sound.”
Alexander admits to a wide taste in music – “I just think there’s something to get out of all of them” - but her favorite group is the Indigo Girls. Music is where she goes to regroup or focus.
“It’s a peace for me,” she said. “If I'm having a bad day, I’m going to that and I’m turning on my music and maybe singing at the top of my lungs in my car.”
Again, she mentions that was a reason she didn’t pursue singing as a profession.
“I needed it to be my refuge,” she said. “I needed it to be where I could just go when I needed to walk away from everything.”
When her three kids are older and their schedules aren’t as hectic, she would like to take part in local musical theater.
“At the end of the day, I'm just a ham,” she said with a laugh. “And again, it’s about performing with other people. It’s about having fun.”
She can’t imagine not singing.
“I guess as long as the vocal cords are working, I will seek out places and opportunities to sing,” she said.