Pitcher's music career is definitely getting `Hotta' By Nicole Williams Smith The nine-year-old Prospect primary student, who became a local celebrity with her song `Hotta', recently took home top honours at an international music competition with her catchy tune.

"Last year May I wrote a song called `Hotta','' explained Sydney. "Me and my Mamma were walking on the beach and I was singing because it was so hot. My Mom wrote it all down.'' "I was complaining about how hot it was and she said, `no Mamma its hotta' and she started singing,'' recalled Sydney's mother, Sharon Pitcher Jones. "I thought it was a nice jingle and encouraged her to keep singing. By the time we got home she had about two-thirds of it written.

"She wrote the whole song,'' she added. "I decided to make it into a record so she could see that she could do anything as long as she put her mind to it.

"Children are very creative and if you just invest a little time, money and energy, you never know what will come of it.

"This was something she could look back on when she grew up.'' The tune became a family project when Mrs. Pitcher-Jones' husband, producer Dwight Jones, put Sydney's words to music.

"I was shockingly surprised,'' admitted Mr. Jones. "The minute I heard it I knew it had potential. I kept asking them `are you ready for this' because I didn't think that just recording the song was going to be the end of it.'' And Mr. Jones was right -- what started out as a motivational lesson soon snowballed into something much larger.

Local radio stations played the then eight-year-old's song over the airwaves and it soon became a local hit.

"I was happy to hear it played on the radio,'' Sydney confessed.

Now, the charming tune may catapult this grade five student onto the world stage thanks to her win in the 16th Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.

"We entered her into an international song contest last August in the children's category,'' explained Sydney's mom. "They called on November 13 and told us that she had won the children's category.

"They just loved the song.'' Now, Sydney's song `Hotta' will appear on the annual winners CD which will be distributed throughout the music business.

"The CD will be distributed to all the various production companies,'' explained Mrs. Pitcher Jones. "Who knows what will come out of that.'' "I let a few international producers her the song and they think it is a hit,'' added Mr. Jones.

In the meantime, the Math-loving nine-year-old said she will continue to create her own music.

"I like the writing part,'' she admitted.

"She likes putting songs together, especially the writing and composing,'' said Mrs. Pitcher Jones. "She plays the keyboards by ear and now she she's taking lesson on reading music.'' "She just sits down and makes up her own songs on the keyboards,'' Mr. Jones added.

And the couple hoped that Sydney's story might inspire others to pursue their personal dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.

"People always say `I want or I wish I could','' said Mrs. Pitcher Jones.

"If you just put a little extra effort into it you just never know what may come of it.

"You just have to believe in it and yourself.''