Kean sophomore Jennifer Vaughn possesses a rare combination of beauty, determination and prodigious talent that could liken her to Billie Holiday, one of her favorite singers. Though Vaughn has struggled through adversity to develop her vocal ability, she doesn’t have much to be blue about these days.
Her gifts were recognized this year as she became the first Kean music major to earn a presidential scholarship. The Department of Music does offer small performance-based scholarships to its students, but Vaughn’s award is the first the University has granted for full tuition. The reasons for this landmark honor are clear once Vaughn begins to sing, as she does at many campus events. Dr. Mark Terenzi, chair of the music department, said, "What’s unique about Jennifer is that she is able to sing a number of different styles extremely well. She can sing very rapid passages of classical music like an opera star, and yet, she can sing in other styles, such as jazz, gospel and country, as if she’s been doing it all her life. I think it is really quite remarkable that she has that ability. Furthermore, she has a beautiful voice quality that is already at a very professional level."
Ironically, Vaughn’s ability to mold her voice to varying styles once garnered criticism. "When I first started singing, one of my instructors told me I would never succeed, because I always sounded exactly like whoever I was listening to. He said I would have to find my individual voice," Vaughn recalled. She did finally develop a more personal approach when singing jazz, which is Vaughn’s favorite musical genre. "I could imitate Billie Holiday or Sara Vaughn if I wanted to, but I love the music so much that I can’t help but sing it in my own way," she said.
Vaughn began performing jazz standards in her hometown of Kansas City, Mo., at the age of 15, at a club called 210 at Fedora, which houses the legendary stage where Charlie Parker made his debut. She has since displayed her vocal stylings at Izzy Bar in New York City and at Crossroads in Garwood, N.J. However, Vaughn would have never set foot on any stage if it hadn’t been for a remarkable resolve she exhibited as a young girl. "When I was 8 or 9, I told my mom I wanted voice lessons," Vaughn recalled. Her mother had received a full scholarship for voice and violin to The Juilliard School in New York City, but decided to start a family instead of attending the school. "She took me to a voice teacher, and, when I had to sing in front of my mother, I was nervous because, to me, she was the foremost expert on music. I sounded horrible." As a result, Vaughn’s mother said, "We’re not continuing the voice lessons. I don’t think you have a future as a singer." Though devastated, Vaughn continued to work toward realizing her dream. "I played video tapes of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston and watched how they would position themselves and use diaphragmatic support, and then imitated them," Vaughn said. After two years of self-guided practice, one of Vaughn’s friends invited her to sing with a gospel choir at church. There, she soloed Jesus Loves Me, and her display of talent and emotion moved her mother to tears. "It was very gratifying to have my hard work finally rewarded with my mother’s respect," she said. From then on, Vaughn pursued her passion with her mother’s full support.
After graduating from high school, Vaughn earned a large scholarship to a private music college in Liberty, Mo., just outside of Kansas City. She attended for two years before moving to the east coast. "I wanted to be near New York City, where all the action in the jazz world takes place," Vaughn said. When she was ready to return to college, she initially selected Kean University based on practical considerations, such as affordability and location, though the financial concern has been resolved since Vaughn was awarded the presidential scholarship. However, it was the high quality of the music department that ultimately earned Vaughn’s admiration. "I tried to learn music theory at my private college. Though I did well there, I really wasn’t learning," she said. "Since I’ve worked with the phenomenal professors here, I’ve come to understand music at a much higher level." Vaughn has special admiration for Terenzi, who is also her choir director. "He works incredibly hard to continually improve the talent in the department to ensure we gain recognition on a local and national scale," she said. "He also helped me personally by recommending me for the scholarship I received."
Being awarded a scholarship to complete her education at Kean has made Vaughn feel honored and has provided her with even more inspiration. "I realize that my ability to perform is paying for my education. So I have to focus on singing and my studies," she said. That’s no small feat, since Vaughn has two majors: music and journalism. She has always loved literature and writing, and would like to become a magazine journalist in addition to a respected jazz singer. To many people, two ambitious goals like these might seem daunting. But Kean’s spectacular songstress has proven she has the strength of character to realize any future she can dream up.
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