Upon going to college, I’ve had many conversations with my peers about how much we do not miss high school. I’m sure college students all over can relate to that feeling. However, the one thing I miss dearly about high school are the choirs I spent those four years with. At my college, we don’t have a traditional choir that students are able to participate in. It made me realize how much I took those four years of singing with amazing people for granted. As a musical theatre major, it’s not like I don’t sing with people every day. But, it’s amazing how it’s not even close to being the same thing.

I miss the moments like getting super frustrated with the women’s choir when we couldn’t ever nail the claps or the order of the words in Sih’r Khalaq by Jim Papoulis . I remember we saw another choir perform the piece and we sat confused how they could think it was so hard as we had learned the whole thing just a few days prior. We quickly ate our words when there was never a rehearsal where we could get it just right. I’m pretty sure even at our concert I fumbled through those words and claps and the melody still haunts me.

I miss our director giving us Water Night by Eric Whitacre and telling us that he had this piece since he finished college in hopes of being able to do it in one of his classes one day. We struggled through the amazing cluster chords but once we finally got them locked, it sent chills across the entire choir.

I miss the extra rehearsals we had to have on pieces like Tap Tap by Sydney Guillaume and Little Man in a Hurry by Eric Whitacre because the rhythms were so quick, complex, and precise. I miss writing silly notes in my music to help me remember things. In the case of Tap Tap, I wrote “Stop forgetting the words, you dingus” and even showed the composer when he came out to workshop it with us. He signed my score and laughed at my dark circling around notes and rhythms.

I miss the laughter we all shared when our director gave us Chili Con Carne by Anders Edenroth. An a capella piece that was literally about making chili. We had so much fun every day singing it, even though it was silly.

I miss the pride we felt in Venice, Italy. Our final day in the beautiful country of Italy, it was pouring rain in the city, and we had a concert in a small church in the heart of the Venice. When the concert began, no one was in the audience. As we sung, people started to file just to get away from the rain. A woman stopped me as we were walking off stage and told me that we changed her life. I cried for an hour after hearing that. Later that evening at dinner, the restaurant owners asked us to sing for them and they applauded us once we finished Tshotsholoza by Dr. Jeffrey Ames because we really and truly made their night.

The moments I miss most were the moments that reminded me what’s really important in the world. I miss coming together with my choir and forgetting everything bad that’s happened in our day and in the world. All that mattered was the music. Of course, not all of us got along 100% of the time. We had our fights and spats like any family did.

A moment that stuck out to me the most was my Senior year. Our director had announced he was leaving the school and the advanced mixed choir was singing a piece called Ballade to the Moon by Daniel Elder; a piece about the love of art and making music despite the darkness around you. At our concert, we all cried; from everyone on stage to the people in the very back of our auditorium.

Nearly a year later, I still can’t listen to the song without bursting into tears.

Of course, this isn't even half of the amazing memories and lessons I've learned throughout those four years. As my director loved to tell us, “you don’t get goosebumps in math class.” So, to those who have graduated, I hope you’re still singing every day and making music and inspiring people to the way you did me every rehearsal. And, to those who are still in high school choirs, don’t ever take it for granted. Enjoy every moment of frustration and every moment of joy and laughter and of course enjoy the art and the music.