Two Williamson County students competed and won this year’s Sing Your Heart Out competition at the Williamson County Fair. And though there may be quite an age gap between the two, both were not only thrilled to have won the competition in their respective divisions, but they also have a love for performing.
Ben van Maarth, a senior at Brentwood High School, won the High School Division, while Faith Dengate, a fourth grader at Kenrose Elementary, won the Elementary Division.
Even though this was Ben’s first real singing competition, he is no stranger to music or performance.
“My parents say I’ve been singing since I was a little kid, but I started actually singing in front of an audience a couple of years ago,” said Ben.
In addition to winning the High School Division, Ben won the Best Overall award at the contest.
“I was pretty surprised to win the competition,” said Ben. “It was totally unexpected, because a lot of the other kids were great! But I’m really grateful to have won.”
When he isn’t singing, you can find Ben playing the guitar, building things and figuring out how things work, especially cars.
As for Faith, she has been singing since she was a preschooler, although this was her first time competing at the Williamson County Fair.
“It was a lot of fun to sing at the fair,” said Faith. “I had a great time singing in front of my friends, family and lots of other people. It was a good experience to be onstage in front of such a crowd.”
When Faith isn’t in a formal singing group at school, she participates in the school talent show and loves going to music class during her specials rotation.