I wear my friends' happiness around my ankle. The happiness is made of simple, woolen string, woven in three strands that meet to form a small knot that can't be undone. It was made this past summer when I traveled to New Zealand and Australia with my choir for three weeks. On our last day, we wove together a web by tossing a spool around in a circle, all thirty-eight of us singers recounting our favorite stories and our feelings about the experience and the choir as a whole. Listening to people’s eloquent responses, I thought about how I could possibly translate our time together into words.
Sitting in the circle, I thought back to when I first joined the choir in sixth grade. I was placed in the middle of a group of people I didn’t know, and it forced me to break out of my shell. Interaction with others in the choir has made me more outgoing and willing to meet new people - how else was I supposed to pass the two hours of rehearsal without whispering furtively behind my binder with the people beside me? I became more confident and sociable, eventually earning my place as section leader and ambassador to new singers and potential sponsors. My favorite part of my responsibilities now is helping others in my section with music, whether it’s a tricky rhythm or practicing a solo.

The string was tossed to a girl who started speaking about her first impressions. At first, I thought that I would go to practice and sing in a recital twice a year, plain and simple. However, working towards a great performance as a common goal made me soon realize that there is so much more to music than a few hours in a rehearsal hall. Singing without fear requires a supportive environment, and in opening ourselves up to each other like that so often, we created a sort of second family. Every week I know I can find refuge in rehearsal, surrounded not just by musicians who share my passion for music, but friends who understand and encourage me.

Watching the spool being tossed back and forth, I thought about how being in the choir has become more than an extracurricular activity – it’s almost a lifestyle. It has taught me numerous lessons: how to work well with other musicians, how to converse comfortably with strangers, and how to give up my Saturdays without a lot of grumbling. It has taught me commitment, helped me learn how to interact more freely, and it has given me a place where I can truly be myself. How could I possibly put all of this into a few sentences?

I was startled out of my reverie when someone said my name and the spool came hurtling toward me. I picked up the string that would soon be around my ankle, staring at it as if it would somehow give me the words to say. I picked up my head, looked around the circle at the thirty-seven amazing individuals surrounding me, and said, “Thank you.”

Melanie