Music: the universal language, experience, and passion.
For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for music. I listen to it all day, create is using various instruments, and believe in the power of sharing a good song to bring a little happiness in to a person's day. Voice was my first instrument, much like 99% of other people, but I always seemed to love it just a bit more than everyone else.
As a child, I would sing and dance for everyone at family gatherings and was known for being a little diva when it came to performing. Eventually in 3rd grade I joined the MSU Youth Choir and gained some of the most useful musical knowledge I have ever had the honor of learning. In 4th grade, I was finally old enough to join my elementary school's choir led by Mrs. Borton who had been my music teacher since 1st grade. I loved every second of being in that choir and it remains one of the most positive experiences in my entire life to this day.
However, middle school choir was different, more competitive, and that's when my learning grew exponentially. I was introduced to new ways to stand to enable the best tonal quality possible, as well as solfege hand signs (shown in the image to the left) and scales that opened the door to more advanced sight-reading. In 7th grade I, along with three 8th graders in the Chippewa Choir, was accepted into the MSVMA State Honors Choir.
Honors Choir was one of the most intense, grueling, and taxing programs I have ever been a part of, but it also marked a change in my life as a choral singer. I was exposed to advanced pronunciation and vowel unification techniques, expected to practice every note with intention no matter how tired I was (and after 8 hours of rehearsal, you get pretty exhausted), and introduced to extremely sophisticated forms of music.
But no choir was ever as important as Someko was and still is to me. I can still remember the day the choir came to my elementary school and performed... I was completely in awe. From that day forward, I knew what I wanted more than almost anything in the world. For the past 9-10 years, I have anticipated being allowed to audition for Someko. All the work I put in was to become the best singer I could be, and I prayed that I would be good enough for Someko.
As it turns out, my hard work has paid off and my dream has come true. Last Tuesday, I heard the amazing news, and I have never felt more relieved and ecstatic. This year has been a year of let-downs, in many areas of my life, but this has made all the difference in the world. I hope to continue improving because there is always more to mend and revamp, especially with an instrument such as the human voice that is constantly changing. I hope to grow as a musician, as a person, and I will continue to raise my expectations of myself so that I am never satisfied with good enough.
My musical journey has been a lifelong one, with suspension and resolution, harmony, flat deliveries, sharp emotions, and hopefully, no fine in sight. I plan on singing and performing in a choir for the rest of my life, and I am delighted to have begun a new section of my life's sonata.
As a child, I would sing and dance for everyone at family gatherings and was known for being a little diva when it came to performing. Eventually in 3rd grade I joined the MSU Youth Choir and gained some of the most useful musical knowledge I have ever had the honor of learning. In 4th grade, I was finally old enough to join my elementary school's choir led by Mrs. Borton who had been my music teacher since 1st grade. I loved every second of being in that choir and it remains one of the most positive experiences in my entire life to this day.
However, middle school choir was different, more competitive, and that's when my learning grew exponentially. I was introduced to new ways to stand to enable the best tonal quality possible, as well as solfege hand signs (shown in the image to the left) and scales that opened the door to more advanced sight-reading. In 7th grade I, along with three 8th graders in the Chippewa Choir, was accepted into the MSVMA State Honors Choir.
Honors Choir was one of the most intense, grueling, and taxing programs I have ever been a part of, but it also marked a change in my life as a choral singer. I was exposed to advanced pronunciation and vowel unification techniques, expected to practice every note with intention no matter how tired I was (and after 8 hours of rehearsal, you get pretty exhausted), and introduced to extremely sophisticated forms of music.
But no choir was ever as important as Someko was and still is to me. I can still remember the day the choir came to my elementary school and performed... I was completely in awe. From that day forward, I knew what I wanted more than almost anything in the world. For the past 9-10 years, I have anticipated being allowed to audition for Someko. All the work I put in was to become the best singer I could be, and I prayed that I would be good enough for Someko.
As it turns out, my hard work has paid off and my dream has come true. Last Tuesday, I heard the amazing news, and I have never felt more relieved and ecstatic. This year has been a year of let-downs, in many areas of my life, but this has made all the difference in the world. I hope to continue improving because there is always more to mend and revamp, especially with an instrument such as the human voice that is constantly changing. I hope to grow as a musician, as a person, and I will continue to raise my expectations of myself so that I am never satisfied with good enough.
My musical journey has been a lifelong one, with suspension and resolution, harmony, flat deliveries, sharp emotions, and hopefully, no fine in sight. I plan on singing and performing in a choir for the rest of my life, and I am delighted to have begun a new section of my life's sonata.