Mackenzie Welch, 14, didn’t consider herself a singer until a few years ago.

The teenager, who is homes-schooled along with her three sisters in Oakdale, comes from a musical family.

“There’s always been music in my life,” Welch said. She and her sisters all play musical instruments, her mom takes voice lessons and her dad sings in church.

Mackenzie plays violin and piano, but only sang in the church choir until her mom, Lynn, listened more closely one day.

“I heard her sing around the house,” Welch said.

It was only then that she realized how good Mackenzie’s voice is.

Mackenzie began taking lessons from a teacher in East Lyme, Natalia Syed, and began practicing all the time.

Last month, Mackenzie won a Certificate of Excellence for scoring the top mark in Connecticut in a voice test from the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Development Program. She got the prize and sang in a concert for other top scorers at an award ceremony at Carnegie Hall, in New York.

“I was so nervous, I had such a bad headache,” she said.

Mackenzie performed “Does He Love Me Or Does he Not,” a classical voice performance song that was “worthy of Carnegie Hall,” Lynn Welch said.

The Toronto-based Royal Conservatory of Music, which boasts 500,000 students across North America, conducts regular examinations that are considered the global standard for musical ability.

The music development program awards certificates of excellence each academic year to students who achieve the highest standard of excellence in their home state.

Mackenzie won the top marks in Connecticut for her level of study, along with two students from East Lyme.

Mackenzie thinks she will want to apply to music programs when she’s ready for college, she said.

She continues to sing at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Oakdale alongside her family, and will take a higher level test with the Royal Conservatory program in the fall.

She sings at home between piano practice at the family’s piano and karate lessons.

Mackenzie, who said she uses music as a way “to glorify God,” likes singing for its simplicity.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “But I like how ... it can affect other people. I like that it’s always with you. It’s very releasing.”

m.shanahan@theday.com