ACC Fine Arts Graduate Accepted into University School of Music
Cristina Rodriguez at the piano in ACC’s Music Department.
(May 22, 2023) – Alamance Community College has the unique ability to be many things to many people. Biotechnology, mathematics, welding, horticulture. And there is the Fine Arts program. One young student scheduled to graduate on June 2 made the most of her opportunities in Fine Arts to learn more about music and voice, crystalizing that thirst into acceptance as a voice major at a four-year university next fall.
Cristina Rodriguez, 22, will transfer to the University of Tampa, Florida and follow her dream in the School of Music. To get there, Cristina had to submit three classical audition songs. Each video audition featured Cristina singing non-English selections: one in Italian, one in Spanish, and one in Portuguese.
“Cristina has done a great job preparing herself academically and in her audition to the School of Music,” said Dr. Roger Lane, who guided Cristina in ACC’s Fine Arts program the past two years.
A Florida native, Cristina moved with her family to Burlington at age four. She was singing before she could talk complete sentences. This appears to come naturally to her – her whole family has some musical talent, like her sister who also sings and her brother who plays drums.
She gravitated toward music while attending Western Middle and High Schools in Burlington where she took honors class in music and performed in a stage musical. Early on, she knew she loved classical music, especially pieces in Italian and Spanish, the latter language she speaks fluently.
Cristina enrolled at ACC after the prompting of her mother, Alicia Rodriguez, who is an adjunct instructor with CTECH where she teaches interpreting Spanish classes. Her mother is also an ACC alumnus, matriculating toward her credentials by taking General Education classes.
Cristina has long known that singing was her passion but she wondered if she could get a good job in the music field. So she took a year off from school during the Covid pandemic and worked at a day job. When she came back to ACC, she had made the decision to pursue her degree in music with Dr. Roger Lane and his Fine Arts curriculum.
“Dr. Lane is a phenomenal professor, the best I ever had,” said Cristina. “He helped develop my voice and range. With him, I learned how better to control my voice and the particulars of using my vocal chords.”
Cristina practices with ACC fine arts instructor Dr. Roger Lane.
On June 2, Cristina will walk across the stage during commencement exercises to receive her Associate in Fine Arts-Music, then make plans to head to Florida to concentrate for the next two years on earning her bachelor’s degree in voice. She says that her ultimate goal is to work in music therapy, especially in how it helps children