Talent is blind. It does not matter what a person looks like as long as they have the ability to show the world that they are the best at what they do. A gift should not be overlooked just because the wrapping paper is unappealing or different. More than ever, people are starting to tear away from society’s mold of what stars are supposed to look like and accepting young hopefuls for who they are. The Voice is the music industry’s first venture into moving away from the superficial standards that have been set by past examples. This show and many others play a large part in motivating aspiring artists. “The TV shows I watch inspire me to go for my dream,” senior Top Choir President Giannina Rodriguez said. “I want to audition for American Idol and do something like Smash one day.” There have been many singing shows and competitions in the last decade, including American Idol, America’s Got Talent and The X Factor. However, The Voice is the program that stands out the most. On the show, four star judges have their backs to the singing contenders, assuring a professional opinion uninfluenced by how the singers look. There is also open-mindedness in the genre of music that is sung, seen in the eclectic choice of judges, including Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton. After the judges decide if they want the singer, the contestant then gets to decide which judge will be their coach in the competition. In this way, there is no emphasis on how the person looks. Decisions are based solely on talent and potential to be brilliant rather than beauty. “The Voice has caught my eye many times,” junior John Amparo said. “I do believe that blind auditions are effective because they make the listener only use their auditory sense, which knocks out all the other distractions such as their appearance.” Smash, a new television series on NBC, is a drama that shows the struggle of a group of people trying to make it on Broadway. Starring Debra Messing and 2006 American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee, the show is centered on the dreams of ambitious singers and the uphill climb so many people in show business must travel. Glee is another television series that follows the lives of fictional characters in a high school glee club. The teens in the show try to make sense of their lives through music and make it big as musicians. “I really like Glee because it shows more than just the singing,” junior Katherine Haven said. “It shows the personal problems that each of the kids have to go through with the use of humor.” All of today’s famous musicians started somewhere, and at Plano West there is no shortage of talent that has the potential to go on to stardom. Students can participate in four different choirs at West, including Chorale, A Cappella, Syncopation and Rhapsody. Their involvement in the Chorale Department opens them up to performances in front of large audiences and provides opportunities to collaborate with the PWSH Orchestra and the school’s Theatre Department. Students are given the chance to shine and improve at what they love doing in a safe and nurturing environment. Through guidance and teaching, school choirs have the ability to cultivate stars. “I want to do music therapy when I grow up,” Rodriguez said. “I can see myself singing professionally on stage in the future.” Singing can be an escape from the troubles of life or a way to show the world what one has to offer. It takes more than a good voice to be a singer. It takes courage, an unyielding spirit and a primal need to belt out the lyrics of a song that move something inside of you. Singing is a passion that brings life to words and creates a sense of true purpose in many people. “To me, singing is one of the few pleasures that there are in life,” Amparo said. “If I can’t sing, I’m not living. It’s just a part of me and who I am. It’s something I truly love because without it I wouldn’t be John Amparo.”