"I can't figure out what your story is."
This is what an adjudicator told me during a high school vocal competition and never could I have anticipated how this moment could fundamentally change my life.
While my parents weren't musicians themselves, they were avid concertgoers and shared their love of music with my brother and I.
The world of music was where I found refuge.
As an incredibly emotional child, listening to music helped me cope during challenging times in my life.
I convinced myself for a long time in my childhood that my perceived lack of talent would make me forever a music hobbyist but never a legitimate musician. So I put my efforts into other extracurriculars but still kept that love of music satiated with the occasional concert in the shower, attending shows with my parents, and eventually joining a choir in high school.
In my junior year, I finally worked up the nerve to sign up for my high school’s regional vocal competition. When I performed, the adjudicator, convinced that I was concealing “my real voice”, encouraged me to start over and sing without inhibition.
The sound that came out scared me and left the room in shock - I did not recognize the power of my own voice.
It felt amazing.
This prompted the adjudicator to respond with confusion about my story. I confessed my fears and she implored that if this was something I wanted, I needed to immerse myself completely. With my choir director’s support and guidance, I took the first steps to realize this goal, which led me to place first in the Southern California Vocal Association Vocal Solo competition, landing my first principal role in my high school’s spring musical, getting accepted into my dream school, and completing my bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach.
Reflecting on my past struggles in finding my voice has emboldened me to empower others by finding their voice too.
Finding the courage to express oneself freely is one of the most liberating experiences.
This is what an adjudicator told me during a high school vocal competition and never could I have anticipated how this moment could fundamentally change my life.
While my parents weren't musicians themselves, they were avid concertgoers and shared their love of music with my brother and I.
The world of music was where I found refuge.
As an incredibly emotional child, listening to music helped me cope during challenging times in my life.
I convinced myself for a long time in my childhood that my perceived lack of talent would make me forever a music hobbyist but never a legitimate musician. So I put my efforts into other extracurriculars but still kept that love of music satiated with the occasional concert in the shower, attending shows with my parents, and eventually joining a choir in high school.
In my junior year, I finally worked up the nerve to sign up for my high school’s regional vocal competition. When I performed, the adjudicator, convinced that I was concealing “my real voice”, encouraged me to start over and sing without inhibition.
The sound that came out scared me and left the room in shock - I did not recognize the power of my own voice.
It felt amazing.
This prompted the adjudicator to respond with confusion about my story. I confessed my fears and she implored that if this was something I wanted, I needed to immerse myself completely. With my choir director’s support and guidance, I took the first steps to realize this goal, which led me to place first in the Southern California Vocal Association Vocal Solo competition, landing my first principal role in my high school’s spring musical, getting accepted into my dream school, and completing my bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach.
Reflecting on my past struggles in finding my voice has emboldened me to empower others by finding their voice too.
Finding the courage to express oneself freely is one of the most liberating experiences.
