P.E. teacher by day, Indian Land educator’s a singer/songwriter in her spare time

A local teacher has a claim to iTunes fame.

Angie Kendall, a P.E. teacher at Harrisburg Elementary, is also a musician, singer and songwriter with two original songs available on popular music streaming services such as iTunes and Google Play Music.

The songs – which Kendall wrote, played guitar and sang lead vocals for – were part of an album released in 2014 when Kendall was a worship leader for Grace Point Music at her former church in Ohio, Grace Point Community Church. “Be Revealed” and “Open Arms of Grace” are among several other songs on the album titled “AWAKEN.”

Kendall began writing songs at the age of 13 and played in a band when she attended Winthrop University.

“I always wanted to make it big…when I was young,” said Kendall.

She auditioned for Star Search in 2003 and American Idol in 2006, before realizing she “didn’t want to be in that world anymore.” She turned her attention to making contemporary Christian music and didn’t look back.

Kendall shared her iTunes success at an orientation meeting where teachers were asked to tell something interesting about themselves. Word got out, and Kendall’s students started coming up to her, wide-eyed, with questions.

“I get kids walking up to me going, ‘Did you really try out for American Idol?’” she said.

“You can have a lot of sides to who you are,” Kendall said. “I love to perform, I also love being a teacher, which is kind of like performing…you have to be ‘on,’ you’re on a stage, you’re the one in the spotlight.”

Kendall is quick to deflect any personal praise for the songs, saying they are the result of a collaboration of talent.

“I truly take none of the credit for either of those songs,” Kendall said. “God gave me the inspiration for the words and the lyrics.”

Kendall said she wrote “Be Revealed” while she was going through a rough patch and needed God to be revealed in her life.

“When you yourself have a lot of questions like, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ When you have doubts, when you feel like you’re in the darkest places – this song is urging the Lord to reveal himself to us, even if it’s in the smallest ways, and he does.”

“Open Arms of Grace,” with a more upbeat melody, came from a place of, ‘man, I’m tired, I’m worn out, I need (God) to just rescue me and hold me,” Kendall said. “It’s kind of a prayer, you know, lead me to your open arms of grace.”

Many people have confided that the songs helped them with what they were dealing with in life, Kendall said. “(The message) really has seemed to ring true with a lot of people.”

As for what’s next for her, Kendall said she is eager to get back into performing after moving back to the area last year. Though she’s not quite sure where, Kendall said she has faith that the time will come when she will take the stage once again.

“I believe in God and I want to tell the world. He’s never given up on me,” she said.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "P.E. teacher by day, Indian Land educator’s a singer/songwriter in her spare time."