Just recently, I watched Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and took a little trip down nostalgic street. Don't get me wrong, I have not traveled with my best friend through time and collected several historic personages for an oral history report. I was not that lucky. But I was giving some thought to the premise of the movie. A man from the future named Rufus goes back in time to assist Bill and Ted with their history report. If they fail, they will be thrown onto the wrong path for the future. If they pass and get an A+ Bill and Ted will go ahead with their plans to write music, which in turn, will change the world for the better.Everything comes down to the road we choose. Can you think of one choice you have made that has affected your life permanently? I can think of several. But one sticks out in my mind. I chose to sing.
Growing up, I loved listening to music. My first CD was The Nutcracker and then Beethoven's greatest hits. I was nerdy and fine with being a nerd. I had given up piano and other than listening to the Beatles and admiring music from the sidelines, I was fine with not participating. But after taking sophomore girl's choir, I gradually learned more about music and soon I desired to be a part of the smaller, (audition only )choir for junior girls.
Here it is, the choice that changed everything. I decided to do it. I was totally out of my league, but I received a week long crash course with a voice teacher who believed in me and I decided to try out for the junior girl's choir group. At age 16, I had my driver's test, my AP European test and my choir audition on the same day. I failed my driver's test, I got a 2 on my AP Euro test and still sang my audition piece from West Side Story. A couple days later, I discovered I had made it. It was beyond my mind to imagine, but where all I saw was failure, I had made the 28 girl choir group.
My life changed after that. Not because what you do in High School maps out the rest of your life. In fact, most of the time, it is the opposite. But, for me, being a part of this group led me to discover a talent and a passion I had for music. I went to College on a vocal scholarship. The choice to sing changed the friends I had, it filled my depleted self-esteem, and it made me happy to be a part of music. Singing made me the happiest.
Ok, it is 13 years later, after that first audition and no, I haven't performed on broadway. I haven't opened my own voice studio, or graduated in opera. But, I sing all the time. I sing at church and at Christmas time and I have been known to teach a few voice lessons here and there. I also had the glorious chance to sing in New Zealand and to sing at both my Grandma and Grandpa's funeral.
I also sing to my baby.
So I guess I took a different road, one I never thought I could take, or would take. But that road has lead me to who I am now and that ain't all that bad.
