From the time that I was very little, I have always loved singing. There is even a picture of me around age four, carrying a cassette tape set with an attached toy microphone. I can remember sitting on the living room floor singing every track from Martina McBride’s greatest hits CD for hours on end. I was always singing. It seemed as if I sang from the time that I knew what singing was, and since then, I haven’t stopped. Singing has always uplifted me and brought me joy, and it’s even brought me through some of the most difficult times in my life.

I think that I understood the power of music at an early age. I recognized how singing had the ability to bring me happiness, and even though I didn’t understand all of the words at a young age, I was able to notice that they meant a lot to the person singing them, as well as those listening. When I was in sixth grade, I decided that I wanted to sing in the talent show. My mom was shocked, and so was I for that matter. I was extremely shy, and hated being the center of attention, so the idea of me performing in front of a large audience was a very strange concept. The night of the show came, and afterward, I realized something that I think I had known all along. When I was singing, I felt invincible. All of the worries and sorrows I had in my life seemed to be nonexistent, and I felt like I was on top of the world. Most of the time, I was quiet and afraid, but when I was singing, I felt bold and free.

The talent show was my gateway into the world of singing. Following this, I began taking voice lessons, and continued to do so for 6 years, and I began doing performances around my community. I joined three choirs and remained active in them up until the time I went to college and joined different choral groups. Singing made me beyond happy. As I was growing older, I began to understand the meanings behind the words and how powerful a song could be. One simple song can have the power to change your mood, your outlook, or even your life.

Over the course of my life, singing has taught me to be brave. There were many times when I was standing on a stage looking out at the audience, frightful of a performance. But I learned to hold my head high and sing, and that has been my life motto ever since, for everything I’ve gone through, not just involving singing. Another thing I’ve learned from singing is that sometimes the song doesn’t turn out the way you want it to, and that’s okay. I’ve learned that the same goes with life. Things don’t always go as you expect, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still a beautiful experience. Sometimes the song changes, and then sometimes, the song changes you.

There have been so many times in my life when singing has given me hope and restored my joy. When I’ve lost people that I love, I’ve been comforted by the words of “Amazing Grace”. When I’ve been overwhelmed with pain and fear, I’ve found solace in the verses of “It is Well With My Soul”. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always singing, and for good reason. I sing when I’m joyful, I sing when I’m in pain, I sing when I’m afraid. I have found comfort in the joy of singing in every season of my life, and I am confident that I will continue to do so until my vocal chords can no longer utter a sound.