Dear Choir Director,
Whoever you may be and how ever you may teach; anyone who has had you in this roll has been impacted. Not necessarily by you yourself, but by the atmosphere and by the people you have chosen to be in this group.
You, at one point in your life, thought that everyone sitting in this room right now will connect and make the most beautiful sound anyone has ever been graced with. And honestly, we have connected. There have been moments that we want to kill each other, scream at each other, quit choir all together maybe (that one is from personal experience). However, needless to say we have our differences. There has never been any question about that, and maybe that’s what makes us who we are!
Our differences have essentially made us who we are; whether it’s the difference of our skin tone, the difference of our religion or the difference of our home life. None of these are bad, in fact, they make us different. Our differences help us make different sounds and without you, Choir Director, our differences would be driving us apart.
As you stand in front of us every day, playing trivial notes we should already know by heart, you are creating an atmosphere of safety, of commitment and of consistency (most days). You probably know that our home lives vary from two story, four bedroom homes; to someone not knowing where he/she is laying his/her head down that night. You probably know that we are get tired of doing the same thing over and over. You probably know we are sick of other people talking while we are learning our notes. You probably know exactly how it feels to be in our shoes, so you probably give us a little bit more grace than we deserve.
Though what you do not now is how our hearts swell when we finally get the chord we have been working on for a month, how much we feel like a family when we venture outside of the four walls of our classroom, the respect we build for each other, and the love we have for music. You, Choir Director, are the one who has made this. We are a product of your desire and dedication, and without you, we would have one less safe haven, one less family, and one less person in our lives to tell us they care for us without even saying the words.
We will forever be grateful for your corny jokes, your endless life lessons and your life changing spirit. We will never be the same because of you. Music has made an impact on our lives because of your passion to share that gift. So, thank you, Choir Director. Thank you following your heart, and allowing our lives to be touched by what you love to do.
