I don't think many people know that I love to sing. Not the car-windows-rolled-up, music-blasting-so-no-one-can-hear-me kind of singing or the drunk-Top of the Stairs-karaoke kind of singing - I'm talking about serious singing, with a choir or as a soloist. I distinctly remember (and I'm sure my parents wish they could forget), being three years old and singing for the entire two hour car ride home from my grandma's house. In elementary school I started singing with a group called the Kid Company. We were sort of a cabaret-style group that sang mainly show tunes complete with choreography. We would put on an annual performance for our parents and friends as well perform at events, nursing homes, hospitals, etc. in the community. I don't remember what grade I was in but one year I was chosen to sing a solo: "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" from Cinderella. I even had a magic wand I shook around while I sang. In addition to being part of the Kid Company, I auditioned for and performed in various musicals such as Annie, Fiddler on the Roof and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, to name a few. In sixth grade I was selected to play Charlotte in my middle school's production of Charlotte's Web.
Once I got to high school I realized I wasn't really much of an actress. I was never able to land any of the big leads in the shows I auditioned for and I knew it was because I couldn't act. I dunno what it was but I could never really envision myself as someone else. It always felt fake to me. Confident in my singing ability, I continued to sing in my high school's choir. When my family moved to Northern Virginia, I was lucky enough to be part of a choir with an amazing choir director, Pamela Potts. Ms. Potts was one of those teachers who absolutely loved what she did and genuinely cared about the well-being of her students. With her help, encouragement and support, I continued singing with my new high school's chorus and auditioned for the county, district and state choirs. My junior year of high school I was selected to be a part of the all-Virginia state chorus. If I have one regret in my life it's that I didn't participate in this chorus because the concert was the same day as my first prom.
My senior year of high school I was also part of an extra-curricular chorus, the chamber choir. This was a small select group of students who sang during the spring and winter concerts as well as gave performances in the community and at graduation. I will never forget one afternoon I was having a very stressful day. A couple of us sang together for a little while and afterward I felt so amazing, as if all my stress was gone. I realize I probably sound like a complete music nerd, but there's just something about singing for me - my voice with the others, the challenge of singing a difficult song - it's almost therapeutic.
When I went off to college I considered minoring in music, but at ECU the requirements for a music minor were just a few credits less than the major. Instead, I did the next best thing and joined the University Chorale. I really wanted to be in the chamber choir and the director pretty much told I'd be in if I had been a music major. Even so, it was nice to be singing with a group of talented students. After I transferred to Virginia Tech, I had pretty much given up the idea of singing. There wasn't a group similar to ECU's University Chorale and I didn't have the time to participate in a choir for school credit. But then, during my music history class (which I despised), the teacher asked us to fill out a student profile which included information about our experience with music. A few days later I received an e-mail from the teacher inviting me to participate in a small, extra-curricular chorus that sang mostly Gregorian chant-style music. Excited for the opportunity to sing again, I joined (and even received one school credit!). Unfortunately, and maybe it was because it was an extra-curricular group, we were terrible, embarrassing even. To this day I'm embarrassed that Brad came to hear us, we were terrible, a far cry from the type of group I was used to singing with. Needless to say, once the spring semester came around, I was no longer part of the group and I haven't sang with a chorus since.
So why am I writing about all of this? Because after a six year hiatus from choral singing, I have decided to sing again. On Monday, I start rehearsals with the One Voice chorus of Richmond, a community chorus promoting racial reconciliation. I am excited beyond words to get to sing again, to have music in my life again. Two years ago, I auditioned for a choir through the University of Richmond. It had been so long since I had sight read music and sang that way that I didn't do as well as I knew I could do. In fact, the director told me I was average. Average. Average is something I know I am not. So instead of letting it get me down, I took another break and thought about what I wanted to do. Earlier this week, as part of my new project, I listened to some of my old high school chorus CDs. After a couple of listens, I knew what I had to do, so I Googled "Richmond, VA choirs." At first I glanced over One Voice's website, but once I checked it out, listened to their music and discovered I didn't need to audition, I was hooked. I immediately (and excitedly) e-mailed the director who wrote back with equal excitement, welcoming me to the group. My first concert with One Voice will be on November 20 and will feature music from Show Boat, West Side Story and South Pacific - all Broadway musicals. Until then, I am very much looking forward to my weekly dose of music therapy.
Note: The title of this post is a choral piece that was sung by the middle school students selected for the all-district chorus in 2001, the same year I was chosen to sing with the all-Virginia choir. Click here to listen to the Virginia Tech Chamber Singers' performance of the piece.
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