Delaney Miller has won both the Capistrano Unified School District and Orange County “Reflections” arts competition with her song “Making Me Happy.” Photo by Jim Shilander
San Clemente 10-year-old Delaney Miller may be on her way to a career in music.
Miller, a fifth grader at Concordia Elementary School, won a district wide and then countywide, arts contest as part of the “Reflections” arts recognition program, sponsored by the California State Parent Teacher Association.
Miller has been involved with the program, which encourages participation in the arts, since Kindergarten. Though she doesn’t have formal musical training, Miller wrote and sang her own song, “Making Me Happy,” and entered it into this year’s contest in October.
“I was surprised, I didn’t think I was going to win,” Delaney said.
Her mother, Nicole, said her daughter has been writing songs for a long time, and took particular interest in this year’s Reflections theme, “Magic of the Moment.”
After winning the contest in the Capistrano Unified School District, Miller was entered in a countywide competition to be judged against all the other district winners. Nicole said they weren’t necessarily anticipating victory for the county contest.
“We only showed up for the last 10 minutes of the meeting (in Costa Mesa),” she said.
Delaney said when she heard her name called she was very much surprised.
“I was almost passing out,” Delaney said. “I just heard ‘Congratulations, you’ve won for the entire county.’”
Miller now advances on to the statewide competition in Sacramento. Luckily, Nicole said, the family will be notified in advance if Miller places, so they won’t have to make the drive up for nothing.
Delaney said she’s hoping to make a career in music. She’d like to attend the Orange County School for the Arts in Santa Ana, but still has at least a year before she would need to audition for a spot.
