The Love of Choir by Emma

The Love of Choir by Emma - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

I have seen many teachers in my 12 years of education through the Wake County Public School System, and each one of them has taught me a little life lesson along the way. However, one particular teacher always comes to mind when I think of important lessons learned from a teacher. This particular teachers name is Heather Copley. Ms. Copley was my choir teacher, and one of the many reasons I decided to major in music education. She was outspoken, stubborn, yet kind and caring when you needed it most. I was a teacher’s assistant for her for 2 semesters, and her student all four years. She taught me something that I will never forget. She taught me the love of choir.
Before I had come into high school, I was in a middle school choir for a year, where the teacher was awful, and threw chairs at us on occasion. She made me, as well as other girls, feel like we had no talent, and told me on one occasion that I was tone deaf.
My freshman year, I was a small and scrawny child. I looked like I was about 10 years old, and didn’t say a word to anyone. I walked into the chorus trailer, and it was cramped. 72 girls in a trailer meant to hold 30? It was a fire hazard, and Ms. Copley would often admit it. We had 3-4 people to a folder, and the ac didn’t work, so it was basically a sauna.
After voicing me, Ms. Copley decides to put me on 2nd Soprano, a voice part I’ve never been on. The scariest part about this, at the time, was that this was where she put the kids that struggled. I happened to think that I was good, but the words of my past teachers were still fresh in my head, so I was concerned they were right. After a few weeks, I emerged as a quiet leader, but not by choice. Nobody else could get the music, and they would all have to listen to me. It terrified me, and brought unwanted attention my way. Seniors were mad that a little freshman was leading the section, and I had to stand up for myself or we would suffer as an ensemble. I had to learn to be a fighter.
The next year, she moved me up to the top choir at the school, and gave me chances to audition at the NC Honors Choir. I didn’t make it that year, but I would the next. I felt like I found a home, when my home wasn’t really a place I could take comfort in. I found a family, and people who would let me be myself. I was still relatively quiet, I shook uncontrollably when I sang, and still felt afraid of seniors in the class who would belittle me any chance they could.
It didn’t really get better until my senior year, when I got my first solo, and tutored freshman who were struggling. I emerged as a strong alto leader, and picked up songs extremely fast. I soon decided this is what I would want to do with my life, and Ms. Copley wrote me many letters of recommendation, all with spelling errors, as she cannot spell to save her life. After my solo, the teacher from my middle school years, who was there for some reason, walked up to me and told me I did a great job. I walked out and cried. I learned so much about music from her, but a lot more about heart. The girls I met, at least most of them, will always be my family. I cannot wait to be a music educator, and hopefully, I’ll make her proud.