First-generation student Brenda Olvera uses music, culture, and care to build community in and beyond the classroom
Brenda Olvera participating in a masterclass at the Northwest American Choral Directors Association in March 2026
By Hoku Tiwanak, CLA Student Writer - April 29, 2026
Brenda Olvera, a senior in music education specializing in choral instruction, has built her college career around voice, community, and leadership. As a first-generation student with roots in El Salvador and Mexico, singing has guided her through new spaces and opportunities. “I look back and think, if my high school self could see me now, she would not believe it,” said Olvera.
Growing up, music was deeply tied to faith and family. Her mother, raised in a devout Christian environment, grew up singing constantly. Olvera remembers nights when her family would sing psalms before bed.
“All musical instruction was taught orally,” Olvera explained. “My family never learned to read music or went to formal lessons.”
Her first real exposure came in middle school, when she stepped into a choir room during a high school campus visit. “It was the last stop on the tour, but it changed everything for me,” she said. “Once I stepped into that choir room, I knew that's where I needed to be.”
Olvera leaned into choral music specifically because of its intimacy. The human voice, she believes, is unlike any other instrument. “Your own breath and tone associated with your voice is so special.” Singing in a choir isn’t just about harmony; it’s about unity. “You’re making art together,” she said. “Music explains things and makes you feel things that can’t be described in any other way.”
Now a senior in the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts, Olvera had the opportunity to apply for a masterclass with the Northwest American Choral Directors Association (NWACDA). This regional honor award entails conducting a choral group in front of an audience, then, receiving live feedback from a guest clinician, typically a nationally-known top conductor. She remembers submitting her application at the last minute. To her surprise, she was accepted and performed at NWACDA’s conference in Tacoma, Washington, this past March.
“That moment really made me realize how far I have come and affirmed to me I really do know what I am doing,” she said.
Receiving her acceptance email “felt like I won the lottery,” said Olvera. The recognition wasn’t just about accomplishment. It was validation of years spent finding her rhythm in a world that felt unfamiliar.
At the ACDA conference, Olvera conducted two pieces, guiding a choir of singers she had never met before. “It was cool how everyone clicked,” she said.
Her approach to conducting is fluid and expressive, focused on letting the music connect the group. One of her pieces, by Eric Whitacre, based on a Robert Frost poem, was quite magical on stage. “I wanted to let the music flow through me,” she said. “I’ve never experienced that sort of connection before; it's a feeling that is still unmatched.”
As a student teacher at a middle school in Salem, she works with young singers navigating both music and identity. “Classroom management can be hard,” she admitted. “I love their humor and liveliness, so I have to practice ways to control the environment without taking away their personality and fun.”
Through mentorship and training, especially in nonverbal communication techniques, she’s learning how to balance structure with empathy. “Kids want to know they are cared for,” she said, especially in a Title 1 school setting. “They want to be heard.”
Olvera builds students' confidence by getting to know them, joking with them, and creating a space where they feel safe to express themselves. She understands that middle school is a time of change vocally, emotionally, and socially. Instead of focusing solely on perfection, she emphasizes growth, effort, and self-expression. “I just ask that they try their best and put in good effort. I am not worried about perfection,” she says.
In her classroom, she’s exploring ways to connect music to broader cultural and historical themes by helping students use their voices not just to sing, but to tell stories and raise awareness.
Singing boosts serotonin and dopamine, chemicals linked to happiness and well-being. Olvera shared that scientific research indicates that when choir members sing together, their heart rates synchronize, speeding up and slowing down in unison. Music brings people together; it’s about connection, finding your voice, and helping others find theirs.