Horn Lake choir students celebrated for earning scholarships 

Photo: Horn Lake choir signings: Larkaja Kelson – U of Memphis, Gerian Chamber – Arkansas State, Zakayla Wallace – Pearl River Community College, Iris Mitchell – Tennessee Tech University, Mickenzi Perryman – Tennessee Tech University (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)

May 14, 2025 – Continuing a tradition that has been going on for several years, the Horn Lake High School choral department held a scholarship signing event Wednesday morning. Five senior choir members who have earned scholarships to sing with college choral programs next year.  

The five who signed their scholarship letters Wednesday morning were Larkaja Kelson – (University of Memphis), Gerian Chamber (Arkansas State), and Zakayla Wallace (Pearl River Community College), along with Iris Mitchell and Mickenzi Perryman (both to Tennessee Tech University).

Holly Beck, the Horn Lake choir director who is retiring at the end of the school year, explains that her senior students who get college financial help should be recognized, like football players, basketball players, baseball players, and other athletes.  

“They should be awarded, recognized and celebrated just as much as athletics are,” Beck said. “Many years ago, we started this where our choir students also were recognized when they signed their papers accepting scholarships to sing in college. I wanted my students to also be recognized for their hard work when they are receiving those kinds of benefits as well.”

Three of the students who signed scholarships Wednesday are going to schools that have not welcomed Horn Lake students before. Wallace is attending Pearl River Community College and Chamber will attend Arkansas State University.  

“I’ve known the director at Pearl River for a long time,” said Beck. “Her program is just fantastic, in fact, they have a pop acapella group that goes to regional competitions every year. That’s crazy to think about, because it’s just a two year school.”

Dr. LaDona Tyson heads the choral department at Pearl River and Dr. Ryan Sullivan leads choral activities at Arkansas State.  

For seniors in Beck’s choir program, one of the most decorated and traveled organizations in the region, the search for a college choral home after graduation becomes almost a daily occurrence.  

“I stay on the seniors, like their whole senior year,” Beck said. “I’m asking, ‘where are you looking at, do we need to get in touch with the director?’ I won’t hesitate to try to get in touch with the director if I know him, and if I don’t know him, it doesn’t matter.”

Not all of the seniors were feted at Wednesday’s activity, as three seniors going to Louisiana State University, for instance, won’t learn the amount of their scholarship money until the fall. That’s another school Beck called and campaigned that school’s choral director for her students, who then met them in Baton Rouge and committed to finding money after meeting them.   

Beck noted that of the five who signed Wednesday, only one is majoring in music. The others are getting choral scholarship money to help in their other academic studies. 

One of the things Beck does when the choir tours and sings away from home is to visit colleges and learn about their music programs. That was how two seniors, Iris Mitchell and Mickenzi Perryman, were able to find their next choral home. 

“The reason Tennessee Tech is now on the radar of the kids is, last year on our choir trip, we stopped at Lipscomb University, we stopped at Tennessee State University, and we stopped at Tennessee Tech University, and they were able to take a tour,” Beck said. “We were able to sing with their choirs and things like that. Just a couple weeks ago we sang back at Tennessee Tech. We sang in a concert with them and the Master Singers of Cumberland County, an adult community choir.”

Other schools in DeSoto County have started to have choral scholarship events, but arguably, Holly Beck at Horn Lake was the first to celebrate the program’s seniors.