In my first experience in a choir in high school, my director placed me in the alto section. I sang with my best friend as an alto for three years and became extremely comfortable in that register. I settled on the fact that my voice was strongest and clearest in the lower range, and I became extremely confident in that fact. When I came to college, I knew that I wanted to continue being in choir, so I signed up for an audition for the alto section coming into my freshman year. It took Dr. Joy Sherman (or more commonly known in the community as Doc) all of five minutes in my audition to remove everything I thought I knew about my voice and place me as a soprano two. I had to learn to adapt to the different register and make a switch from my chest to the higher point of my voice. Over the year, I was able to learn A LOT from Doc and learned to develop my strength in this other section. It was a good thing too, because when Dr. Conley Holcom (commonly known as Dr. C) took over for Doc the following year, she promptly decided that my voice was best fit for soprano one. Over the course of three seemingly short years, I had gone from an alto (on occasion tenor depending on the piece) to a soprano one. This was a difficult transition to go through at times, and since then I have talked to that friend I sang with in high school about my “identity crisis” that I had experienced with my voice. However, despite the tremendous amount of voice cracks and extended vocal training, I am beyond thankful for the process. I still love singing as an alto and often find myself singing in that range when I sing more casually, but I also love the growth that my voice has gone through in becoming a soprano. It was so important for me to be open minded with these two directors as they inevitably did know best, and they helped my grow along the way. I am so thankful for the experience of singing in both sections.
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There is such a power in singing. A simple Google search can show anyone the health benefits of singing and the physical rejuvenation that can come from singing. Singing for me personally has always been cathartic. Extremely cathartic. I admittedly did some vocally unhealthy scream singing in high school in my car, but no matter my mood, there was always a physical relief that came with singing. I was really able to understand the reason for this when I joined my school choir in high school. One of the first things the directors I have encountered have said to a choir in rehearsal is “come into your body.” There is an intentional focus on breath and posture and emotion that comes with singing. You get to be completely locked into your breathing and then with every fulfilling breath that comes in, there is an equally fulfilling expelling of energy that comes out. This focused and intentional practice was nowhere present in my car scream singing, but the same movement of energy was ever present. Anyone who has played any instrument in their life understands the power that came come from playing a piece that really moves you. The piece that you have been practicing for months and now you are performing, and the excitement and anticipation of the piece moves you. Now if you have played an instrument but have never considered singing, imagine that the energy of that music literally moves through you because you are now the instrument. There is a power in that experience. There is a power in all music making in this way. If you have never considered singing and leave all singing for the car and shower, that is amazing, but next time you are jamming out, consider what it is that makes the moment so freeing! And if you haven’t ever sung in a choir and have thought about it, try it. Because it’s literally every feeling I just described, but with like 30 other people. Talk about powerful. :)
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