I joined my school choir in the fourth grade at my mom's behest.She thought that I didn't get out enough and that forcing me to participate in school clubs would encourage me to make friends, she was right, but at the time I was not pleased.Being in the choir meant that I had to stay after school two days a week, keeping me from the valuable time that I spent locked in my room alone reading my books.To my 9 year old self, this slight was unforgivable.I also hated choir.The teacher was mean and we were only allowed to sing kiddy songs about colors or food. To my younger self, it was humiliating. Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I continued to sing throughout the rest of my time in elementary school.

After starting middle school I was all too ready to leave my life in the spotlight behind.That is until I found that taking chorus as a class would get me out of gym. As a severe asthmatic, there was little on the planet I was less suited to then organized sports.So I sucked it up and joined the chorus.But, this time it was not the same.We sang classical pieces instead of Disney songs and we learned to sight read rather than match tune.It was a whole new side of a subject I thought I knew so well.I couldn't wait for second period each day so that I could go to chorus. I had discovered a passion and it was all I wanted to do. I dragged my parents to see performances by local ensembles and threw myself into music theory. I tried out for the school's honor choir and got in, then All-State, and did not.No matter, I was not deterred, and I kept practicing and auditioned for every solo.It paid off and I got to sing the National Anthem at a school assembly.It was my first time performing alone in front of a crowd and I was shocked to find that it was different than the safety in numbers mindset that develops in a choir.I found it exhilarating.

Middle school came to an end and I moved on to high school.Singing in high school was different than singing in middle school. Everyone's voices changed and we sounded almost like real adults. My love for singing grew and I could finally hit those high notes I was never quite able to reach. We traveled, and even performed at the Biltmore at Christmas, a memory I will keep for the rest of my life. High school came to a bittersweet end and I sang at my own graduation.I went to college and, no longer have time to sing, but I know that I'm the person I am today because of these experiences, and for that, I'm grateful.