“Sing louder. You have such a beautiful voice.”

I turned around and saw who whispered this to me. It was my second grade teacher, Mrs. Sunderland. We were rehearsing for the big second grade chorus concert. Tension was running high and Mr. Cordell, the music teacher was losing patience with us. We sang every measure of every song until they became a part of us, not unlike a hard drive to a computer.

Out of one hundred students, I was one of the lucky ones chosen to sing in a quartet during the concert. The audition process was simple: sing a song from a Disney movie. I sang “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin. I stood in front of the class, sweaty palms and all, and sang. My voice was shaky with nerves. I closed my eyes and pretended that I was on a magic carpet ride with Jasmine and Aladdin. When I opened my eyes, Mrs. Sunderland smiled at me and told me, “Congratulations.”

On the night of the show we were required to wear black and white to look professional, for eight year olds, that is. Mr. Cordell was running around making sure that everything, absolutely everything, was perfect for the show. I remember standing on the risers anticipating the curtain to open. I could hear everybody piling into their seats, excited mutters escaping their mouths. I wished for them to hurry and get into their seats. I was so excited for the show to start. Standing there on the risers felt like an eternity, but then the house lights went out, the stage lights turned on, and the curtain finally opened.

From the moment the piano played its first note, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted my life to be completely focused around music. I wanted to live it, breathe it, and most importantly, feel it. The music notes were circling around me that night. I sang that night away. Mrs. Sunderland’s words encompassed me and I sang louder than I had ever sung before.

Today I’m in the high school choir. There are moments when the choir sings a song so perfectly that the words don’t even matter. What matters is the emotion. We become the music through our hopes and our fears. Our music attracts people like an ice cream truck to children. Every chorus concert is like a celebration. Music is the key to a sorrow filled heart, but music also continues the hopes of a joyful soul.

Someday I hope to spread my love of music by becoming a music producer.