Student sings well despite neck injury
April Croft didn’t let a little thing like a broken neck keep her from singing.
The 17-year-old senior at Riverside High School not only performed, but won her division in the Eastern Washington Music Educator Association’s soloist competition Feb. 11 at St. George’s School.
This was just two weeks after a serious car accident left her with two fractures in her neck.
Croft had had her car for only three days and didn’t have snow tires on it yet. Her car hit a rut, dropped 25 feet down a cliff and landed in a creek.
Croft’s passenger Aaron Miller, also a senior at Riverside, was able to pull her out of the partially submerged car.
A passer-by called 911. The two were taken to a hospital where Miller was treated for a sprained ankle and concussion.
Croft had fractures in her C3 and C6 vertebrae and was hospitalized for several days and fitted with a neck brace.
“After I was released, I wasn’t allowed to do anything. I was propped up and couldn’t leave my house. My doctor said the slightest fall could kill me,” said Croft.
Her activities were restricted when she returned to school. She couldn’t be in the halls with other students for fear of being bumped or jostled and for the same reason, had to eat her lunch in the school library.
But Croft’s passion for music wasn’t diminished.
“I think her coming back from a serious injury showed the other students that they have a lot to be thankful for. If they’re having a bad day, they can look at her and see how hard it is for her to do the things she tries to do. We’re all amazed at her persistence and determination,” said Riverside choir director Jesse Wittrock.
Singing at the last competition with a neck brace wasn’t easy, but Croft found something positive about her situation.
“I wasn’t able to open my mouth very much, but with the brace on, I was better able to keep my posture so I was able to take in more air, and it actually gave me a better tone.”
Croft’s dream is to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston someday, but in the meantime she plans to attend a local community college. She wants to perform, but she also wants to teach music, maybe as a choir director.
Croft has worked as a student-director at school and has a real knack for it, said Wittrock.
“She’s found her passion in singing, and she is willing to work extremely hard to be the best she can be. She has a great work ethic. People may have God-given talent, but it takes hard work to develop to such a level, and April appreciates that,” said Wittrock.
Croft will be competing with the top high school soprano soloists from throughout the state at the WMEA finals April 29 in Ellensburg.
Depending on her CAT scan, Croft hopes to get her neck brace off this month.