Silence to Song by Ava

Silence to Song by Ava - June 2025 Scholarship Essay

First day of freshman year— I entered 3rd period concert choir full of unfamiliar faces and felt an immediate, overwhelming sense to leave. My mind was flooded with thoughts of anxiety and worry at the idea of singing in front of other people. I enjoyed singing in private, when I was alone and no one to hear me—where my voice felt safe. But, the thought of singing in public plagued my body with absolute fear. “I am switching out as soon as I can, I can’t sing in front of all of these people!” I thought to myself as I picked a seat in the class, my confidence diminishing by the minute. As the last of the students filed into the class, the bell rang and a hush fell over the room. My teacher, looking excitedly at a sea full of terrified faces, said, “Let’s start with some vocal warmups.” We all looked at each other hesitantly before slowly rising one by one. My teacher started the vocal warmups, and we quietly joined in, no louder than a whisper. Then came the real challenge; he prompted us to sing one line from a song in three-part harmony. Again, we all joined in hesitantly, but went along with the directions. At the end of class, we returned to our seats and waited for the bell. By the time the bell rang, releasing us to lunch, my feelings of anxiety started to shift, and I started to consider the possibility that taking choir might not be as bad as I thought. After all, we did need a performing arts course to graduate from high school. However, the looming doubt that taking art or theater might be easier, safer even, remained in the back of my mind. However, upon leaving the class, the sense of taking choir merely out of obligation started to develop into a feeling akin to curiosity; the idea of allowing my voice to be heard amongst a group of people, when in most situations, I had kept it quiet.

As the year went on, I felt myself becoming deeply immersed in choir. Each day that we rehearsed, I noticed myself actually enjoying singing in class, rather than seeing it as a requirement for graduation. We sang complex pieces that required not only skill, but connection with each other. While singing, we learned to listen to one another, adjusting and blending our voices to create a sound where our voices supported and uplifted each other to produce a sound full of strength and texture.

One day during practice, my choir teacher started to walk around the room, listening to each of our individual voices. We all looked at each other with suspicious glances, unsure of his intentions. Once we were done singing, he pulled some of us aside. “How would you guys feel about joining select choir?” my teacher asked with excitement. We all looked at each other astonished. Select choir was an audition-only choir; being invited without trying out was a huge honor. We all said yes and the next semester, I found myself a part of an even greater opportunity.

At the time, I didn’t grasp how meaningful the opportunity I was afforded by being invited into select choir. We sang beautiful arrangements of songs and performed them at various school events. During my second year of select choir, our class was presented with the opportunity to perform a specially arranged piece from an accredited director in collaboration with choirs from other schools. We fundraised, worked tirelessly, and were able to raise enough money for our trip to Anaheim. Held at a beautiful church, we stood shoulder to shoulder with other choirs, coming from different backgrounds and schools. As we began to sing, a joyous energy filled the room as our voices came together in harmony. As we sang, I not only focused on the singing, but also became the audience to the choir and truly listened. It was so beautiful to experience the joining of voices, as well as the opportunity for my voice to be heard.

The thought that I had started as an anxiety-ridden freshman who was scared to share the voice and ability I had, to a year later, being confident enough to share my voice with others that would uplift me, makes me endlessly grateful for choir. I think that is what makes choir so special; it allows voices that are otherwise silent to be heard. I was able to turn my source of anxiety to my strength. Choir has been able to teach me that my voice, no matter if I am singing or simply talking to my peers, is important and deserves to be heard. It taught me that my differences make me beautiful, and that when we come together, our voices can make something that is larger than any one person. Most importantly, choir taught me that it’s not always about being the loudest, but daring to put your voice out there and help lift and support the voices that may not always be heard. Choir gave me more than a step completed for graduation; it gave me the lifelong understanding that sometimes our greatest strengths are hidden behind our greatest fears, and in that, being able to discover your voice, and given a platform to use it, is one of the greatest blessings you can be given.