A Metamorphosis

With A Little Help From Her Friends

Michelle Kingston CMUN 271 Student She thought her life was over. Not seeing her name on the volleyball teams roster at her high school, she felt her number one goal shatter on the gymnasium floor. It happened to be the worst day of my life, but the best day, she says. That happened to be how I started my music. Today, she is Katie Quick -- the woman taking Chicagos music scene by storm. Quick, 27, has grown up since her volleyball days at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Evergreen Park, Illinois. Today she rocks out in a Chicago born band, Yard Fulla Cars, and is attempting to pursue her solo music each day. I had not made a lot of things and I had been let down, says Quick. But I learned at a young age that it was okay and something greater was coming from it. Although Quick wasnt exactly sure what would come after not making the team, she had a strong support system behind her who always knew she would become something great. Krissi Woods, 35, a member of Yard Fulla Cars, has complete confidence in Quicks dream. She is a born performer, says Woods. One of these days, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland [a well-known country band] is going to come across Katies website, love what she hears, record one of Katies songs, and then all of the record producers will be fighting to get her on their label. Quick is currently an unsigned artist living in Rogers Park. She is moving one foot forward in her musical career each day. She hopes to strike a large fan base and have her solo work take off.

Every day, I promised myself, I will do one thing, says Quick. Whether is it contacting someone, practice a song, something. She began making these promises after a lunch date with a friend back in college at Southern Illinois University. She mentioned an ad she had seen in Craigslist for a back up singer. Her friend told her that she would cut their friendship if Quick didnt try out for the band. She was like, I will not talk to you until you make a step forward, says Quick. Wanting to keep her friendship, and be part of the band, Quick picked up the phone and called the number listed in the advertisement. The majority of the songs the band covered were country, which was not Quicks favorite genre. Quick prefers rock and roll, but she auditioned anyway. She became the bands co-lead singer in 2005. According to Woods, the audition wasnt successful. The biggest reason I think we chose her over the other girls who auditioned was because her personality shown through and we could all tell she was someone who would fit in with the rest of us, says Woods. As Quick describes the band, Yard Fulla Cars, a light shines in her eyes. She loves performing with the band. The work is different than what she does on her own, but says they have such a blast. Four years later, Quick is still singing cover songs for Yard Fulla Cars. She is also working to promote her first solo CD coming out on May 1, titled, Be the Change. People keep asking me why I named it, Be The Change, says Quick. Its the title track, but it also represents every single song and that whole time, which was me really changing. Changing careers, changing relationships, having to deal with losing people in my life, and so many things that were constantly changing.

Quick was a former Chicago Public School teacher at Morrill Elementary on the South Side of Chicago until August 2007. She incorporated her music in the classroom to help engage her sixth grade students. The students were from a low income neighborhood and had behavioral problems and it was the one thing we could all relate to. They loved it, says Quick. However, her principal called her down for the end of the year evaluations in June and told her something had changed and her style of teaching wasnt working anymore. She demanded Quick to rethink her lesson plans. More specifically, her principal told her to remove music from the classroom. I was shocked. I knew I couldnt stay in that environment that felt so oppressive, says Quick. And for me, as soon as I get that feeling, I have to do something. I thought about it for a few weeks over the summer, but I just knew, I knew. I always wanted to pursue music. This was just another red flag. A blessing in the skies. During her time at Morrill, Quick had helped the students test scores rise, and had assisted in the creation of a girls basketball program. I thought, if anything, I became stronger, says Quick. Kelly Slater, 34, a teacher at Morrill, admits she was shocked to hear Quick had received low ratings from the principals evaluation. None of us can figure out the motivation behind that, to this day, says Slater. I can speak for everyone when I say we missed her spunk! It wasnt the same walking into work without seeing Katies smile. Quick cried for weeks after leaving her students. She believes the principal had formed a jealousy for the way Quick was able to interact with the students through her music. As sad as

she was to leave, Quick knew this was the next move in order for her to pursue her dreams of becoming a solo artist. I couldnt continue teaching because you have to give the kids 115% always, says Quick. She was upset for leaving, but felt better knowing she had taught her students three valuable lessons. Number one, she says, Dont let anyone tell you you cant do something. Number two, always be yourself. Number three, if you want something so badly, do it. She was right. She had taught her students more than just math and science. Ariel Purham, 14, one of Quicks former students thinks Quick is still teaching her that possibilities are endless. The thing she taught us the most was really how to follow our dreams and dont let anybody stop us from achieving what we want to achieve, says Purham. Basically to reach for the stars. Quick emphasized this lesson to her students by writing them a song titled, Fingertips. Writing this song allowed Quick to express to her students how much she cared about them. She wanted to brighten their outlook on life. When I met those kids they had zero hope about life, says Quick. The song is my honest portrayal of how I feel about them. Quick seems to be following her own advice. She takes one step a day so she can hopefully take one leap the next. My next big step is to keep booking shows, she says. I want to start playing outside of Chicago. I have a gig in San Diego that I booked.

Always planning her next achievement is part of Quicks worrisome attitude she has had since she was a child. I am always like, Buckle your seat belts! or, Call me when you are coming home! says Quick. She is constantly worried about losing the people she loves. Those people include her father, who she describes as supportive and constantly smiling. If I have a question, says Quick, Im like, What would my Dad do in this situation? Quicks parents raised her in Evergreen Park. She took a moment to find the appropriate words to portray her childhood. Hmmm.. Lets see, Quick says. Her eyes drift toward the windows of the coffee shop, searching through her history. She peers outside at the passing cars, the busy people, and the high-rises. A smirk appears upon her as the sun sets on her face, her nose ring glistening all the while. This moment of solace says a lot about Quick. She took her time to examine her past, figuring out a way to eloquently summarize a significant portion of her existence. It was all self-discovery, says Quick. I was an old soul. I always felt older than my friends. I was always trying to be the best at everything I possibly could. Always working towards something. As a child, she sang every song in the musical Grease on the top of her lungs, she was not an avid reader, and bawled while watching the movie Almost Famous. There is this one scene where there is a camera sitting on stage facing the crowd and there is a drum beat and everyone is screaming, waiting for them to come on stage. I used to cry every time I saw that, she says. I want that, I want that so bad.

Quick admits this to be one of the moments that helped her realize the path she was going to take in her future. What she had considered as her future then, is the present now. I am going to be 27 on Friday and I cannot believe it, she says. I feel like I remember everyday since, so I am definitely trying to absorb everything right now, because I do realize it does go by fast. Boom. Tap. Boom. Tap. Boom. Just like the drum beat in her favorite childhood movie, the sound of echoing voices will be prevalent in a South Side saloon when Quick releases her first solo CD. Quick confidently claims her show will be swarming with fans. Quick now has a substantial following behind her to feel confident about leaving Chicago and heading out to the Hollywood Hills. I am at the point now where I could leave if I wanted to, says Quick. I am undecided now. I want to go on tour, even if it is just me and my guitar by ourselves. I wouldnt be opposed to leaving and spreading around. Quick thrives on the conversation about L.A. and her future. She hopes to live in Nashville, have a family, and hear her voice on the radio within the next ten years. Unable to read the stars alignment, she is able to confidently say the day her album is released will be one of the most rewarding moments yet. A CD that reveals her change in life is about to have the opportunity to be heard by the world. Although she has gone through so many changes, Quick believes having a good upbringing has kept her grounded. Quick has the talent to reach a wide range in vocals, and she has made quite the metamorphosis for herself. At the same time, she shares many of the same qualities as women who dont have a singing voice or who have not made significant reconstructions. She prefers

sweatpants and no make-up. She is dreading the traffic that will come if the Olympics plan to roll in to Chicago in 2016. She loves Obama. Most importantly, she knows that every day is a new proceeding movement towards her dream. I know this is not easy. I knew going in to this that it wouldnt be easy, she says. There are moments when I am struggling financially, or time are just tough, that I am like, I just want something to give already. But it doesnt last long. Her family and friends pick her back up. They are her biggest fans. She fears the album will not connect with people, but others feel differently. Katie is going to make it. I truly believe that, says Woods. She has gone from a caterpillar to a butterfly since buying her first guitar only four years ago. She has grown since her first concert in Wicker Park at the Gorilla Tango Theatre. She has set goals for herself along the way, teaching lessons to those she cares about each day. She worries about failing but realizes one important message: If you are constantly following your heart, she says, It cant be that bad.