Wherever she was, she carried a song in her head, and a rhythm and harmony in her heart...
Music. It's the thing that can make us feel so many things in only a few minutes. It's what we all seem to love. It's our common language. It's one of those things that carried me through high school.
All four years of high school, I was in choir. I've been in choir since I was third grade and have always loved to sing, so it only seemed natural to me to continue on in high school. What I didn't know at the time was the impact it would have on my life.
Choir was the class where I could work hard, but also release whatever stress was balled up inside of me. Music has that sort of magic. There were days where the class seemed to never end, where on other days, it was the shortest class in the world. No matter how I felt about it though, it was a class I needed. I remember on the days I wouldn't have choir due to the block schedule, by halfway through the day, all I wanted to do was sing! I just needed to let it out! I made so many close friends in that class who felt the same way. Choir was more than just a music class; it was a life lessons class. My amazing teacher, Dubbs, taught us so much more than notes and keys and dynamics and sigh reading. We heard his stories everyday, laughing at them and sometimes begging for more, but most importantly learning from them. He is one of the most insightful adults I have ever met and looks at life with fresh perspective. He wanted us to be the best possible choir, but also the best possible people.
The thing about performing arts at my high school was anyone was welcome. It didn't matter if you were an athlete, math genius, or just a plain old teenager trying to make it through. Once you were in B-wing, you were simply you. You came to express yourself. There were the kids who were crazy about B-wing and spent every free minute they had there. Then there were the kids who would come there to seek solace, as it was a not necessarily their second home, but a branch of the school where they could simply let their creative passion flow. I was one of these kids. We were all apart of not just the arts, but the place where we let our souls run wild.
A few nights ago, I was putting away some laundry and listening to music. Out of the blue, I felt the need to listen to choir music. I put on a
song that I first sang at Continental League choir in January and then again, at our mid-spring concert. It is such a beautiful song that has so many different components and simply leaves me with goosebumps. When I was singing it all alone in my room the other night, I finished with tears in my eyes (sorry to get all sappy guys). Surely the music made me feel emotional, but also the memories. I remember singing this in class, at Boettcher Concert Hall, and again on stage at school. I studied the words and music of this particular song so much for some reason and it just hit me in the heart. Soon, I was listening to choir songs from over the past four years, still remembering each harmony and word.
This year has been an extra special year. I made it into Honors Choir, the top of the top. I remember the first time I heard them sing my freshman year and knew right away I wanted to be part of their group. I worked hard and when I saw I made it, I was elated. We were a tight knit group from the start. Our first concert was one of the best I've ever been part of. Dubbs told us that we were as good, if not better, as his best choir he's ever conducted. We worked as a group and became a force to be reckoned with. One song in particular,
Idumea, is one that will go down in the books. When we performed it at competitions, we would always have an insane reaction. We became the best of friends in
Winter Park, and I miss this group so much already.
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| The best of the best |
At my final concert about two months ago, I was not as sad as I thought I would be. Looking back on it, I think it's just because so much was still coming, like graduation. It hadn't really hit me what I was finishing.
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| Aww their shirts spelled out Hannah and they had CU tattoos <3 |
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| Ya gurl had a duet with another ging |
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| My wonderful aunt traveled two hours to come to this concert! She is the best! |
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| I do adore my fans |
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| Ain't nobody messin with my clique |
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| Embrace it ladies |
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| If only she would do choir... |
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| Choir wouldn't be the same without this girl. So happy to have her with me! |
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| Best director a choir could ask for |
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| It's been a fantastic four years! |
At the end of the last concert, all the girls sing the song,
The Blessing by the Celtic Woman. It's a special moment for the seniors that gets people all sorts of emotional. I was expecting myself to maybe cry a little but nope, not a tear. I think it's because I knew this wasn't really my last time singing with my choir, the people I loved so much. That was at graduation. We sang Some Nights by Fun. and I remember thinking, as I stood on risers in the May morning sun in my cap and gown, "This is it. This is my last time following Dubbs as he conducts us. This is the last time I will make music with all these people. Take. It. In."
And I sure did.
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| There we are, singing our little hearts out. |
I am SO happy that my brother decided to join choir because that means I have an even better excuse to come home for concerts! I really hope to join a choir at CU because I don't know if I can quite go without. There is no better masterpiece than the one you create with thirty other voices.
xo
Hannah
A Look at Choir in the Past
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| A blurry pic of me and Kylee freshman year |
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| Some of us altos freshman year |
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| Grammy and PopPop after a concert freshman year (they had just surprised me with Les Mis tickets!) |
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| CHSAA competition sophomore year |
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| Mid-spring concert senior year |
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| Fall concert senior year |
