SUPER ROUGH DRAFT

How Music Changed My Life

What is music? Well, music is something that is hard to explain through words. Music, to me, is something so personal that I can only express my passion for it through music itself. Music has been a part of my life ever since I was a little girl. I was always singing, even if it wasn't that good, and I learned to play the acoustic guitar. Without music, I believe my life would be totally different. It has changed my life completely for the better.

Music can teach you how to be motivated. My instrument of choice is my vocals, which sparks the motivation inside me to want to increase my vocal range. When I was in 6th grade, I decided to join choir. It was the best decision of my life. Ever since then, I've always been enrolled in some type of choir. During middle school, and especially high school, choir was one of the only classes I truly loved. It was one of the reasons I actually got up in the morning. Knowing I'd be surrounded by something I loved, being able to sing, and to extend my knowledge of music itself motivated me. During high school, I made it into an auditioned choir called Chamber Choir. This class was about an hour before school started. Even though some mornings were hard and would have been easier to just hit the snooze and go back to sleep, I pushed through. My love of choir and singing was much stronger than my love for sleep. 

Music taught me that it pays off when you work at something hard enough. During choir in high school, we had auditioned choirs. We had a Chamber Choir, a Jazz Choir, and the all-woman group, Northern Lights. As a freshman, I knew I wasn't advanced enough to be in any of those choirs, yet I decided that if I wanted to be in an auditioned choir, I had to work hard. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for a vocal coach since I had too much on my plate, but I practiced myself. I would practice at home, increasing my vocal range and training my ear. My hard work paid off when I had finally gotten into Chamber Choir and Northern Lights my junior year. I was so honored to have made it into the top choirs. Northern Lights especially was a small group of girls, ranging from about 15-20 students. Many audition for these choirs, but only a few are selected to be in them. 

Another time I can remember when my hard work paid off was the singing contest in Bremerton, Solo and Ensemble. It's a contest where choirs from around the district register to sing either a solo, or a group, and compete to go to state and sing. If you make it to state, you compete again to possibly win best in the state. I entered the contest as a mezzo soprano, with a solo. Seeing as this was my senior year, I really wanted to win something, even though I knew I probably wouldn't. Most people who win, or become an alternate, are under the instruction of a vocal coach, seeing as I didn't have one, I knew I'd have to do the majority of the work myself. I picked my own music, and practiced months in advance before the contest. I would practice for hours a day trying to perfect my tone, sound, and vowels. Of course, every now and then I'd get some help from my choir teacher, but she was so busy helping other students that I basically did all the practicing myself. When it came time to sing for the judge, I was insanely nervous. I got in front of her, my heart beating out of my chest. All I would tell myself was to breath, smile, and make eye contact with the judge. The piano intro started playing, I started shaking, but as I opened my mouth to sing, I felt something strange inside of me. A complete calmness washed over me. I felt the song through my bones and did my best to sing that song to the best of my ability, just how I practiced. The song was such a beautiful peace, "Silent Noon" by Ralph Vaughan Williams. When I finished the song and the piano finished playing, I felt such an amazing feeling of accomplishment and happiness. I had worked so hard for that moment, and to know I was completely happy with my performance made that moment such an incredible one that I'll never forget. Now the hard part, the waiting game. It took a while for the results to come up but when they did, I wanted to scream. I had gotten first alternate for mezzo soprano. I hadn't expected to win anything, since I wasn't taking voice lessons, but I at least wanted to try for it. Without music, I would of never fully understood how it felt to be rewarded tremendously for all the hours of hard work you put into something you want to achieve. 

One for the most important lessons music taught me was to always go for something I wanted because if I didn't, I would regret it. This being said, in choir we have solos we audition. Although in my previous years, such as my freshman through junior year, solos were always nerve wrecking to me. Even as a senior they still scared me. Yet, I was determined my senior year to try out for every solo. I wanted to push myself and to not be afraid to put myself out there, especially when it was a solo that I really wanted.  Of course, getting every solo isn't fair, but I did get my fair shares of solos throughout high school. I even auditioned to sing at every fundraiser we had and sang at all of them my junior and senior year. Sometimes, the nerves really get to you, especially when you're listening to the person before you. It really gets to you when all these thoughts fill your head thinking you're gonna mess up, or your voice is gonna crack, or even that you'll trip going up the stairs getting on the stage. Of course, none of these things ever happened, but nerves are something that always got to me. That's another reason I pushed myself to sing more in front of people. And maybe you're asking, "Well if you're so nervous then why even do it?" The answer to that question is because I love it. I love singing and that amazing feeling you get when you're done, the adrenaline, is all worth it. You just get this feeling of accomplishment. Nothing can ever compare to that feeling. One time, I got so nervous, that when I was introducing the song I sang, I said "Silent Nude" instead of "Silent Noon." It was pretty embarrassing, but the audience all laughed with me, it actually even helped to calm my nerves. Singing is something fun to me, and that feeling of anxiety before I sing in front of people is just an obstacle that's in my way. In fact, I felt so good about singing in front of people, that when I sang a solo at my graduation, I wasn't scared at all, I was actually really excited! Everyone gets nerves, but it takes a lot of perseverance to move past them. 

Being a part of music, especially at a young age, is an unforgettable experience. Yet, there is someone who I couldn't have done any of this without. She is someone who has always pushed me to achieve greater things and who has stood by me no matter what. She was someone who is so passionate about music and what she does, that she passed on that same passion down to me. My choir teacher, Sylvia Cauter. Anyone who has had the absolute honor and pleasure of knowing her will know that she is a one of a kind person, so unique in every way. She's quirky, smart, passionate, and so caring for everyone. Without her nothing that I wrote about would have been possible. She kept me motivated beyond belief and helped me get to where I wanted to be. When someone so special comes into your life and guides you on an educational learning experience, they're someone who you'll never forget. Music is something that will remain in my life forever and is something I will never give up. My life has never been the same since choir, but in the best way possible.