This past Saturday morning my choir at King’s, Cantores Christi Regis, left for St. Bernardine’s Catholic Church in Baltimore. Their choir has been our sister choir since 1998—they visit us in October and we visit them in May. It is more of a family reunion, to be quite honest. During our bus ride down I was trying to write an article this week, but no ideas were coming. Then I realized that choir has been a huge part of my life at King’s and in the lives of everyone on the bus with me, so I asked them what they have learned in choir. Here's what they said.
1. Time management.
2. Sometimes you do things you do not want to do, and that’s okay.
3. You learn to interact with many different types of people, especially those you do not like.
4. Some people are not going to be your type of people.
5. You can make a lot of great friends if you keep an open mind, and even find love (says the tenor who found his soprano girlfriend of three years in CCR).
6. Choir is influential regardless of major or career.
7. Some songs are very challenging, and that’s what makes them the best songs.
8. It is never too late to get involved (says the soprano who joined six weeks before the concert).
9. Different people working together creates a beautiful thing.
10. One common denominator can create a unified group.
11. A love of music transcends all types of boundaries. You could hate each other outside of choir but that all goes away when you harmonize as one group.
12. You would make friends you would never otherwise make, and therefore, experience life and college differently.
13. How to be motherly to the underclassmen.
14. When in doubt sing your heart out.
15. It is okay to be weird — we’re all weird.
16. We’re all in this together.
17. Finding your sense of community. Even if you’re not sure about where you belong or what you want in life you always have a place in choir.
18. Doing a concert in STAB order is possible when the choir puts its heads together.
19. You can break out in song and at least 15 people will join in perfect harmony.
This last one is mine:
20. Even though people come and go in choir, CCR family is forever.
I am so happy I joined CCR at the beginning of my freshman year. I have found a home and a family that will endure even after I graduate.