Christmas

I’m going to take a break from talking about the subject of medicine to talk about Christmas.

            I freaking love Christmas. No, not just because of the presents; although those are nice. Part of it is the family, but the other part is just the whole atmosphere. The Christmas feel, ya know? The decorations, food, music, and everyone’s Christmas “cheer”, or excitement. The fact that we don’t have any snow doesn’t really help, though. It’s actually making me really mad. I don’t like green Christmases.

            Anyway, I get three Christmases all in a row. I go to one side of my grandparents on Christmas Eve, and celebrate with my extended family that night. I have Christmas morning with my immediate family, and go to the other side of my grandparents Christmas afternoon. We usually do that later in the week so it’s more spread out, but we had to do it Christmas day because of family conflicts. It’ll be weird to have three Christmases all within twenty four hours of each other.

            This next part is going to be very opinionated. But if people aren’t religious, and more specifically Christian, and they celebrate Christmas specifically, that’s weird. Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. Its okay to celebrate the holidays, but don’t call it Christmas unless you believe that Christmas is in fact Jesus’ birthday.

            The whole Christmas break is full of never ending celebrations. Yes, I do get sad when Christmas is over. But then there’s New Years! My friend is having a kick ass party. I’m nervous though because it’s a somewhat fancy party, and usually I’m okay with that because I love dressing up. But I’m worried I won’t find not only the right outfit, but the right outfit in time for the party. It always works out in the end, though.

            I’m pretty much just watching movies in my classes. People say they’d rather be at home than do that, but I’d be doing the same thing at home, so why not at least come to school and enjoy it with your friends? I actually kind of like school. The teachers are nice and most of them by this point are pretty laid back because it’s the Christmas season.

            Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Suturing Walk-Through

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9qvDXnWOeA

 

Above I have attached a link leading to a procedure in which a forearm laceration is being sutured. I’ll warn you: it’s pretty graphic. It was a high tech camera and you can clearly see what’s going on; every intricate detail. I’m going to give a walk through about what’s happening in the video, as well as explain each step.

                This person has a laceration wound. It could be from multiple things: An electrical wire, a knife, ect. In this particular case, a woman walked into a non-active table saw. You can see it’s been open for more than it should have because of the fat and tissue gathering around the edges. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s infected, but it’s not a good thing either.

The doctor starts by numbing the wound in multiple areas. They use a certain kind of anesthetic (there are many) and inject it through a syringe. The wound can’t just be numbed on the outside, but on the inside as well. He numbs the skin around the laceration, as well as actually sticking the needle inside the cut and numbing there.

Next, he cleans the wound by washing it out with a bacteria-killing fluid. It also makes it easier to see inside the wound because a lot of the blood is cleared away. After the wound is somewhat clean, the doctor dresses the wound. He does this by putting a sterilized sheet over the patient’s arm with a hole cut out around the area of the wound. This is done so the procedure can be as healthy and bacteria free as possible.

When the wound is ready to be operated on, the doctor gets a needle and medical thread. Medical thread is thicker and sturdier, and won’t infect the body. Some medical thread is self-dissolving, but that’s usually used for internal wounds. In this case, the thread will be cut out in a week or two. The doctor doesn’t have direct hand-to-needle contact while suturing; he uses scissors to hold it. This is so he can see and operate more easily without his hand getting in the way.

 Suturing is not the same as sewing. The doctors don’t just go back and forth with the needle; multiple knots need to be tied with each thread so it stays shut. Multiple layers of the skin and tissue need to be sutured shut. He starts with the inside of the wound: the tissue and fat. Then he moves to the outside and closes the skin up.

This is the end of the procedure.

Job Shadow

A few days ago, I filled out a form to get me into a job shadow program, done through my high school. I stated that I wanted to see what a live Emergency Room is going to look like. I can almost guarantee that this desire is not going to be fulfilled, because why would a hospital let some teenager see all the gory stuff that takes place in an ER? Um, because I want to be doing that in less than ten years. I WILL be doing that in less than ten years. The medical shows I watch (some realistic, some unrealistic) such as Grey’s Anatomy and Untold Stories of the ER, are now failing to satisfy my craving for medical action. I don’t want to continue looking up surgery videos. I want to see, for my own eyes, in real life, someone being cut open and sutured back together. I’m sorry if that sounds creepy, but it’s the truth. I want to experience it, and I don’t want to wait until I’m the one doing it myself. I want to observe.

            Even if I don’t get into the job shadow program, I still have the opportunity to tour a hospital and get advice from a doctor. A friend of my dad’s works at a hospital downtown and has agreed to talk to me about my future and let me get an inside look at the hospital. I would actually rather do that because my dad would be with me and it would be more personal, and I’d feel more comfortable asking questions and such since the doctor/my “tour guide” is a friend of my dad’s.

            I’m curious to know if the doctor will actually let me see some sort of procedure. Nothing like a real sit-in surgery in an OR, but something small, like a minor suture procedure. That would be so cool. I’m not easily grossed out by those things, but then again, I’ve only seen videos. It’d be cool to see if I’m bothered by the real thing, and actually helpful. I can’t be nauseated by those things if I want to be an ER nurse.

            Anyway, if I do get into the job shadow program, I’m still going to do the job shadow with my dad’s doctor-friend. I would have two different, yet similar experiences and I would benefit hugely from that.  

Medical Blogs

I’ve recently done some research involving other medical blogs. While looking up these medical blogs, I couldn’t help but notice that a majority of them are about new cures for things, such as terminal illnesses, STD’s, exedra. Don’t get me wrong; I do agree that finding cures for diseases is very important. But I have to admit that I was disappointed with my findings. I was expecting to see more blogs about hospital workers’ personal experience. I was hoping to hear from people in the medical field and learn about what goes on in a hospital on the daily. I don’t want to say that I wasn’t looking hard enough, although that could very well be the case. But maybe medical blogs aren’t what I need to find out what it’s like to work in a hospital.

            Anyway, back to my findings. There were several bloggers that blogged about how hard it is to succeed in the medical field. Maybe these specific bloggers are referring just to becoming a doctor, but I know it’s difficult to succeed as any medical figure (ie. nurse, pediatrician). It’s good to let people know that they have to work hard to go into medicine, but at the same time, they shouldn’t be scaring them.

            It’s good to inform people about the struggles of going into medicine, whether they go to medical school or not, but I honestly think that if someone is planning on having career in the medical field, they at least know a little bit about what they’re getting themselves into. I was looking for specific experiences about people’s careers in the hospital, not information about their journey full of struggles. I know that I’m in for lots of hard work, but I have yet to know what it’ll be like when I get there.

            My point of this particular blog was to encourage experienced people in the medical field to begin writing blogs that inform readers about career life in the hospital. Although it is helpful to know what the college part of it is going to be like, some of us want to hear about the real life stuff.

            Maybe people don’t want to discuss what happens in a hospital, because I lot of the time the happenings are unpleasant. I do understand that. But there should be at least a few blogs out there about what happens in a hospital, no matter how disturbing the details. Because it’s reality.

EdHeads and Knee Replacement

 

I’ve attached a link that leads to a website called EdHeads.com. This website contains simulations that allow kids to get real life experiences, such as performing a medical procedure or building something for a targeted sales group. I’m going to talk about the medical procedure simulation.

            To start, the doctor has you sign in, or register, your patient. Then he asks you questions, such as what could be wrong with your patient and all the possible ways to fix it. They also show you an x-ray of the injury or problem, and have you identify which leg or area has the problem. Being able to read x-rays is a key part of the surgical field of medicine. Having to know all the answers to these questions is very similar to how it’s done in the real world.

            Once you have a good understanding of the patient’s diagnosis, you’re ready to prep them. This includes sterilizing the area and dressing the patient. The doctor has you initial which leg you’re operating on. This may seem silly, but it’s actually done to assure the doctor remembers which leg to operate on. In this particular simulation, you’re performing a knee replacement. Not only the knee, but the whole leg needs to be sterilized, and this is done by using a sterilizing liquid and a sponge. Then the whole leg needs to be dressed. The leg is draped with sheets, with a hole cut out of it around the knee to allow operation.

            There are many layers to cut through with the scalpel; the skin, fat, muscle, and tissue. As you cut, you have to use a certain tool to cauterize the blood. This tool simply singes the area of the skin that’s bleeding. This is done to prevent too much blood loss and to keep the area clean and easier to operate on. Once the knee is visible, the leg is then elevated to an angle so that the knee bone is better exposed. Some of the tools used are actually quite interesting. The next tool used is a small saw, which removes and sculpts the bone. It doesn’t take off huge chunks off the bone, but rather shaves it off.

            Then a metal piece is hammered into the bone to act as a new knee. I know, hammering nails into someone’s knee bone doesn’t sound pleasant, and neither does have metal in your knee, but it has to stay in there. After the metal is secure, it’s covered with a cement type mixture and smoothed out to look, act and feel more like a bone. It wouldn’t work if the metal was left alone because of the sharp edges. The cement mixture looks and feels just like a knee bone.

            After the procedure, the patient needs to be sewn back up. The proper medical term is sutured. This means taking a large needle and medical thread and sewing the patient up, layer by layer. The final layer, which is the skin, is usually stapled together to ensure a strong bond and healthy heal.  

Change of Blog Topic

In the past, I’ve blogged about music and theatre, and how it ties in to my everyday life. I’ve recently decided to change my topic to medicine. More specifically, different types of medical procedures and how I plan to go into medicine for my career. I’ve always been fascinated by the medical world, and will be sharing some links to some interesting medical procedure videos and then talking about them in my blog. I hope to inform people about how complex medical procedures really are and how interesting it really is.

            Keep in mind that I will not be performing these procedures in my future career. I’ll be a part of them, but I will not be the one doing the surgery. I plan to be an ER nurse, but not a doctor or a surgeon. Nevertheless, I still want to be informed on how these things work so I know what to expect.

            There are so many interesting and somewhat gross surgeries that go on in a hospital. A skin graft surgery is one of them. A skin graft is a live and healthy piece of skin taken from a part of the body that has a large surface area and is put on the open wound. The most common place of the skin for a skin graft to be taken is the thigh, because it’s one of the largest surface areas on the body that would cause the least discomfort, compared to skin being removed from the back or stomach. Once the skin is removed, it is sutured onto the injured area. The skin cells “welcome” the new skin and allow it to heal back to the body as if nothing ever happened. This is because the skin is still from that person’s body, just a different area, and the new skin is healthy, containing healthy cells. This procedure is usually done to a burn victim, or to someone who had a skin eating virus. The healthy area that had skin removed for the skin graft heals quickly because of the amount of healthy cells within it.

Flashback

It all happened on a Monday morning; approximately 6:45a.m. It was the most eventful incident to ever occur in my lifetime; it; as in the car accident. I don’t mean just a little bump on the rear end. I mean a head on, car-totaling car wreck.

            I was waiting to be picked up for my weekly car pool for a school activity. At first I was getting a little concerned because they were really late, but then I realized that it wasn’t as late as I thought it was. I finally saw them turn the street corner and I felt somewhat relieved that they were here. I got in the car and and greeted my friends and our parent driver, Mrs. Swithenbank-Harris. Luis, Ellie, and Emily were the three kids I was with, and it was a fun group because we always got along well with each other.

            It was a nice car; a typical family mini-van, but in nice condition. We neared the four-way stop light and slowly came to a stop at the red light. All of a sudden, the car was hit; hard. Another car had seemed to appear out of nowhere. We were rolling across the middle of the street, and ended up at the bottom right next to the median on the other side of the street. I was still conscious, and to this day I’m still unsure of whether I blacked out or not because I hit my head on the window. For the most part, everyone was fine. But both Ellie and Emily had asthma, and when the car was hit, they hit the seats in front of them and got the wind knocked out of them. They were struggling for breath; all from the asthma, impact of the hit, and pure shock and panic of the situation.

            Emily had completed a rather impressive science project, and it had sitting in the front seat. When the air bags deployed, the project was utterly destroyed. We’re very grateful Emily decided not to sit in the front seat that day. She’s pretty small, and would’ve been seriously injured.

Other than the bruises on our chests from the seatbelt, we didn’t have any serious injuries. Regardless, give that the car was totaled and we were four sixth graders, it was still an awful experience.

Me

I am unique. I am different. I am proud. Not too proud, though. No, you see, that would be what you would call a vain or immodest person; or perhaps even exaggerated.

I am a dancer. Not the kind that takes classes and wears sparkly outfits. I am a dancer of soul, passion, and love. One who dances freely; wherever, whenever. Call me what you want; but don’t tell me I’m not a dancer just because I don’t take classes. I am MY kind of dancer.

I am not perfect. I am not flawless. I was born this way. Do not judge. Why, you ask? Well, simply look around. No one is perfect; we are all equal.

I am a singer. I practice until I can’t practice anymore; passionate about what I do. I sing until my vocal chords are about to snap. I am not a “try hard”, or a so called “over achiever”. I merely work for what I want.

Lastly, I am me. I am strong, yet weak. Bold, yet afraid. My heart is light, yet heavy. I am like a turtle; the candy, of course; Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. Don’t ask why. It’s who I am. As I said before: no one is perfect.

Remembering my Favorite Moments.

There was the heat between us. By heat, I mean not only as in the passion between us, but the actual hotness of his lips on mine. If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can still feel it. I’ll never forget that.

 

The headlights; blaring white lights coming right at me. Then it hit; two tons of metal, pulverizing my own metal cage I was in. Suddenly, darkness; that’s when I knew it was bad.

 

There were butterflies in my stomach as we sat there in the movie theatre. I wasn’t actually watching the movie; I’m not sure if he was. I was too focused on the fact that I was sitting next to a boy, alone, in a dark movie theatre. ‘I wonder if he’ll pull any moves’, I thought. Sure enough, he started to put his arm around me. He accidently hit me in head instead. Well, that went well.

 

He was so warm. The warmth of his arms as he held me, letting me sob into his shoulder. I was so embarrassed, but he said it was okay, to just let it out. I was crying to him about a boy I liked; Typical teenage romance woes. It’s quite ironic, actually. I ended up liking the boy who comforted me, and let go of the one who made me cry.

 

I was filled with so much happiness; the feeling of shock, accomplishment, and joy all at the same time. I scanned the list for my name, and there it was, right next to the part I wanted. I’d worked hard for it, too. Working hard for what you want, and getting it? That’s the most gratifying feeling in the world; especially when it’s for a long awaited part in the school musical.

Show Choir

Two words; Show Choir. It’s a place to let loose, and be who you want to be without anyone judging you. A place where you can step on stage, and for at least 15 simple minutes, feel like royalty. Somewhere where you can sing your heart out; dance like nobody’s watching; and get applause for it. THAT is Show Choir.

People are so stereo-typical about show choir kids. That we’re stuck up; And only sing cheesy songs. Well, let me tell you something right now; we are more than that. We work hard to do what we do. So go ahead and tell me that and eight hour choreography rehearsal is easy. You couldn’t be more wrong. It’s like a work out.

Memorizing choreography is just a small part of it. Don’t forget the vocal part. You have to hit every note exactly, to make sure it sounds amazing. Don’t even get me started on facial expressions. You have to “pull” the audience in. Make them believe the words you’re saying.

 It’s worth it, though; all that hard work; whether you win or not. You become a family, looking out for each other, helping each other with the things we don’t understand. No matter what, we stick together.

Bottom line, Show Choir isn’t just a term. It’s a sport, a pastime, a workout, an enjoyment, a big part of my life. It’s just as important as football, or dance team, or mock trial. It’s what I love to do, and I’ll strive to do the best I possibly can.

Halloween Yo

I AM SUPER EXCITED FOR MY HALLOWEEN PARTY. Haha okay to be completely honest I don’t even know who’s coming at this point. I’ve just been kind of verbally inviting people because I want to branch out and everyone should be allowed to come, but I can’t keep track anymore lol. So I hope a good amount of people actually show up haha.

            I’ve decided to be a biker chick. I don’t know, I think it’ll be cool because since the outfit is more casual, I can do more with my hair and makeup.

            I’m a little worried about having time to make everything. Food wise, I mean. I’m baking/cooking like six plus recipes and have literally no time. I have Play Time Poppy everyday this week, and when I should be doing it(Thursday night, the night before the party), I have show choir from 6:30-8:30. Oh well, I’ll figure it out.

            I think some of the girls are spending the night. I hope so; I haven’t had a big sleepover in years. It’s a pretty broad group of girls, so it should be interesting. It’ll be nice for everyone to bond though.

Happy

Life is too short to hold grudges. I’m guilty of this myself, but still. I’m trying to be a better person and work on forgiving people more easily. Like literally though we have less than two years left together. High school will be over after that. So everyone stop being mean and start being nice.

            School is hard and stressful enough without drama. I mean drama as in friend problems; not drama like stage drama. Because that kind of drama is the shit. Anywho, friends are supposed to be the reason you get excited. The reason you feel better about yourself. Cut the drama and focus your time elsewhere. If you’re going to be upset about something, be upset about grades or food or whatever. Friends are supposed to make you happy.

            It’s hard when you get in a fight with one friend because you usually have a bunch of mutual friends. Then things just get awkward. This is another reason why we should all just be best buds and everything is happy.

Done

This is something I wrote very soon after a breakup. I usually wouldn’t share something so personal, but I have to move on. And I think being open about what happened will help me to do that.

 

“I thought you loved me.” I stood there, trembling, tears running down my face. I looked at him. At those blue eyes that used to look at me so lovingly, at those lips that used to press against mine every time they had the chance, and those arms that I used to constantly find myself being held in.

“I was too young to know what love is.” He said, his eyes not softening.

“But now, do you think you know what it is?” I asked.

“No one our age knows for sure what it is. But I do have a better understanding of what it feels like. And that’s not how I feel about you.” He replied bluntly.

The only way to describe how I felt was numbness. I felt nothing; no sadness, no anger, no pain. But I knew it’d hit me all at once later. And it would hurt like hell.

“Is there someone else?” I asked, scared to hear the answer.
“No.”

“Were you just not ready for a relationship, or is it me?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Oh.”

“I have to go” he said.

“Please don’t” I begged.

“Goodbye” And he walked away.

I watched him go, not taking my eyes off him until he turned the corner and was gone. I suddenly couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t my throat I was grasping at, but my chest. My heart hurt, and it was as if it was cutting off my oxygen supply. I knew it was all being imagined, but that didn’t make it any less real for me.

I walked down the hall, but I wasn’t really walking. I looked around, but all I saw was black. I felt as if I was outside of my body, watching myself exist.

It’s not real. I thought. But it was. This wasn’t a dream. It was painful reality. But then again, it wasn’t the end of the world either. It was just heartbreak. Just heartbreak. The words echoed in my ears. This wasn’t so bad; it would get better. Right?

 

            Sure, some people marry their high school sweethearts. But it’s so unlikely. I’ll probably meet my future husband in college, and that’ll be that. I won’t forget past “lovers”, though. Each one taught me a different thing. Especially this one.

All-State is Over

I did not make All-State. I was pretty disappointed. I don’t know why I got my hopes up; it’s really rare to make it. It was my first year, too. We had five people make it, and two alternates. I’m just as happy for my friends that made it as I would’ve been if I would’ve made it. It’s a big deal regardless of who makes it in.

            I think every person from Kennedy who made it deserved it very much. I personally think there were some people who should’ve made it that didn’t. But that’s just how it happened, I guess.

            It’s very frustrating to be an alternate. Being an alternate means that if someone drops out of All-State before a certain deadline, the alternate of the voice part that dropped out is replaces them. You still have to learn all the music and be prepared, but there’s the chance you still won’t get to go. It’s a tough position to be in.

            There are some upsides to not making All-State. I no longer have to practice with my quartet every SMART Lunch. I don’t have to deal with the stress of it all. I can now work on Christmas music instead of All-State music lol.
            But I am going to miss the music. It’s so beautifully written and put together, and it would’ve been cool to sing that with six hundred kids from around Iowa. But oh well, there’s always next year!

Be Nice

There are a lot of little things that make me happy. Getting a new outfit, perfecting a new hairstyle, losing a pound here and there. You’ll notice that everything I just named revolved around appearance. Yes, those things do make me happy. Feeling beautiful makes me happy. But am I really beautiful just because I got a new outfit? No. Am I really beautiful because my hair looks good or I lost some weight? Maybe on the outside. But even then, am I still truly beautiful? I say no. Scratch that; hell no. Beauty is where there is no evil. Look at the flowers, or the sunset, or at a baby’s face. Do you see evil? I sure as hell hope not. Therefore, you see beauty. Or some form of it.

            I’m not saying beauty is born from innocence. No; that would just make you naïve. Don’t ignore the bad things in life, but don’t focus on them either.

            True beauty is being nice to other people. I’ve learned that through my own experience. I’ve been known to not be a very nice person. But for the past however long, I’ve been genuinely nice to people. And I love it. No, I don’t necessarily feel beautiful on the outside. But on the inside I feel awesome. People are noticing, too. It’s weird to be called nice. But I like it.

            Even if you’re sad sometimes, be nice to other people. It’ll help. To see someone else’s sadness fade away because of you, helps to make your sadness fade away too. Just be a good person; it’s a great feeling.

Us

Do I even know what love is? Probably not. But when I look at him, I know. He is flawless to me. He is perfect. Or rather, his imperfections are what make him flawless. It’s been so long since we’ve loved each other the way we once did, but I fear I may be starting to love him as strongly as I used to.

            It’s been a year and a half since that fateful day when my world ended. My heart shattered. My happiness drained. And I still remember it like it was yesterday. The amount of tears I shed over those few weeks was more than I’ve shed in my whole life. An insane thought, I know; since we cry constantly as babies. But I couldn’t stop them from flowing.

            I never knew a heart could physically hurt like that. Well, it was more like an ache. Organs hurting is like a stomach ache, in my understanding. But this pain in my heart was, like a said, an ache. A constant ache. And it became overwhelming when I looked through pictures of us, or thought of memories we made, or, and worst of all, looked at you. It was awful.

            It’s been better. Much better, actually. I don’t cry anymore. Maybe every once and a while, when I’m lonely. I still miss the memories. But who wouldn’t? They were great ones. We were great, darling. But not meant to be.  

New and Final Quartet

My All-State quartet is fantastic. I’m so pumped. It consists of Isaac, Jessica, and Austin. Tenor, Soprano, and Bass. When I first saw that that was my group, I was surprised. Knowing those voices and knowing mine, I didn’t think we’d blend very well. But we practiced today and we sounded awesome. We’re all very talented, too. We know the music, counting, and rhythms for the most part. Isaac, Jessica, and I are all juniors, and Austin is a sophomore. He’s very good for his age.

            Mr. Ziegler put me in charge. I’m in charge of cuing us in; counting the beats before we enter. I’m also in charge of keeping the beat, or rhythm. I seem to be the only one in the group that can tell when it’s slowing down. I’m also the only one that plays piano. But all of this okay with me; I like being counted on. It’s an honorable feeling.

            I feel much more relieved about auditions, now. I think we’ll do great. I’m nervous if I get recalled, but I’ll have time to prepare and I don’t have to worry about anyone else messing up because it’s all me.

            I think my quartet genuinely cares about All-State. And I love that. I love that they’re dedicated and willing to put in the time it takes. I don’t think we need a ton of practice. We know these songs very well. And it’s not like we have to work on blending with each other’s voices; Mr. Ziegler knew what he was doing when he put us together. It’s just a matter of being completely solid on every single part of every single song, because we don’t know what cuts they’re going to pick.

            I’m so excited to continue working with them. It’s a good feeling when everyone knows their part and we just know we’re going to be great. If we don’t make it into All-State, that’s okay. It will be disappointing, but I’ll know in my heart that we sounded truly amazing. But if we do make it.. not even all four of us. Even if just one person from our group makes it, that’ll be an honor.

Full Body Experience

Good God I love music. Singing it, dancing to it, listening to it. I don’t know if you have to be good at music in some way in order to enjoy it, but it’s definitely more enjoyable if you’re good at it. I’m not saying I’m a stellar singer. But being a good singer helps me to want to sing more, therefore helps me to enjoy it more. I’m going to talk about three different pleasures that revolve around music; singing, dancing, and listening.

               With singing, your body is your instrument. Not only your vocal chords, but your diaphragm, throat, stomach, etc. This is an advantage and disadvantage. Advantage, because you can usually feel when you’re doing something wrong, and you have more freedom to do things with you instrument. Disadvantage, because you can’t just press a button and blow to make sound come out. You have to shape your vocal chords and throat, and breathe properly from your diaphragm in order to get a nice sound. When you sing, you can physically feel the music move you. You can feel it course through your veins and body.

            Dancing also allows you to feel the music. On the beat of the music, you can move your body to match it. The way the music moves, you move. It’s slow and soft, move like a ballerina. It’s heavy and energetic with a nice beat; hit all the moves with a great force.

            Listening to music is like a massage for your ears. But not only your ears; once again your whole body gets to enjoy it. You can feel the music move from the source, through the air, into your ears, and resonate throughout your body. It’s a beautiful thing.

            Music is a full body experience. That’s why it’s so great. You don’t like to dance? Okay, sing. You don’t like to sing? Okay, listen. And if you don’t like listening, you need to get that checked.

Partay

I love party planning. This is where my perfectionist and overthinking ways come in handy. So let’s go through the many steps of preparing for a party, shall we?

            Guest list. I want to invite my close friends, but I also need to branch out. Maybe invite friends of my friends. Those are the best nights, anyway. Hanging out with new people, making new memories. It started out small.. like eight people. Then it ballooned into more than twenty people. But that’s awesome; I haven’t had a big party in a long time.

            Food. One of my favorite parts. I love baking. Notice I said baking, not cooking. Don’t get me wrong; I love to cook too. I’m just better at baking. This is where I love Pinterest to death. It helps me find a huge variety of festive food, that’s somewhat easy to make. I love to eat, too. But the decorating of the cakes and cookies and dips is so fun.

            Decorations. Oh my God, the pure joy I get from shopping for and setting up decorations. I will literally diagram where each decoration goes. Weird, I know. But hey, guess who ends up having a kick ass party? Moi.

            Music. Now I listen to old stuff. You know, 105.7.. classics from the sixties, seventies, and eighties. So I’m not the best at picking playlists for parties, because I don’t listen to what’s popular nowadays. If you asked me to name three of the biggest hits of today, I couldn’t tell ya. This is why I have Hunter make my playlist for me, and with his phone too. I don’t even own cool music.

            Since this is a Halloween party, and more specifically a costume party, that’s just as important as the rest. As the hostess, I have to look good. I decided to be a biker chick. I already have the black leggings, black leather boots, black leather jacket, and I’ll borrow one of my mom’s cool shirts. This way, I can dance and chill. It’s a pretty comfortable outfit. Since it’s also an everyday look, I can go all out on hair and makeup. Dark eye makeup, fake eyelashes, teased, sexy hair.. it’s going to be great.

            I do hope this party is cool, though. I’m not sure if my definition of party is still what’s in. Movie? Dancing? Truth or Dare? Maybe all three.

God, He's Beautiful

I wish you could see what I see. You just don’t know how truly amazing you are. And that’s fine; you’ll see it one day. It hurts though. When I tell you that you’re beautiful and you don’t believe me. I would give anything for you to be able to see the gorgeous person that I’m blessed enough to love every day.

            I fell in love with your personality. Your looks were a bonus. And a damn good bonus, if I might add. Anyway, you’re personality is one in a million. There’s not one specific reason. It’s all of your little quirks, habits, moments.. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met. And I’ve met a lot of people, so take kindly to those words.

            Maybe it’s the way you don’t know how good you are at most things. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re so talented at an abundance of things.

            I want to be part of the reason for your happiness. Notice that I didn’t say that I want to be the only reason for your happiness. I want other things to bring you joy, too. Hobbies, friends, food, sleep. But I want to make your day better. I want to make you smile.

            Like I said earlier, your looks were a bonus. You’re so freaking hot. Like good God I can’t even(excuse my stereotypical teenage girl reaction). But seriously though; it actually kind of makes me mad that you don’t think that you’re hot. Because you so totally are. Your hair, your eyes, your smile, your body.. all on point, babe.

            I want you in the simplest of forms. I want you reading, sleeping, watching tv, going for a run, sighing after a long day. Because you in your everyday life activities are when you’re the most beautiful. When you don’t know that anyone is watching you.. that’s when you’re especially attractive. And so help me God, if only you knew.

Mind Games

Don’t play with my mind. It’s been a long time, and I might jump at any chance. That doesn’t mean I’m easy, it just means I miss the partnership. But with you, it’s familiar. It’s somewhat new, because it’s been so long. But always exciting. Why wouldn’t it be? We’re human. We know each other better than we can recall we did. You’re an old friend, who never left, but never stayed in the way you once had.

            This is not a good choice. But then again, what’s so wrong about it? Absolutely nothing. We all deserve companionship, and especially if it’s with a familiar person such as you, I say go for it. I hate the term YOLO; you only live once, but sometimes it’s necessary to apply it. Just do it.

Fresh Talent

We have such a great group of theatre kids at Kennedy. I had the privilege of watching some of the freshman audition for Play Time Poppy and One Acts, and there’s so much talent. If they’re this good as freshman, they’re going to be unbelievable as seniors. It’s awesome to see potential in someone early on, and knowing how much they’re going to grow. Granted, I’ll only be at Kennedy one more year after this, but I’ll come back to see the shows they produce.

            It does bother me sometimes when a younger person gets a bigger role than an older person. I know majority of casting is based on talent, but I do think some of it should be based on seniority. I can’t really get into this too much though, because I’ve gotten a larger role when an upperclassman was put in chorus. A heavenly and blessed feeling, but also a fraction of guilt.

            I’m constantly comparing myself to people, and I know it’s uneven and unfair to do so with an underclassman in the context of talent. It’s not an equal comparison at all, for various reasons. They don’t have as much experience, but they very well could be better than I was at there age. This produces a feeling of envy, but also a pang of pride to know that my school will be the source of their successes.

Perspective

It’s kind of weird when I’m doing something musical that isn’t near as musically complex as I’m used to. Like in Play Time Poppy practice today, we read through the script and listened to the songs. They were so simple; granted, a lot of the numbers are sung by soloists. But the chorus members have very few moments where they’re singing different parts. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, it’s a children’s show. But it’s just strange for me to sing such simple music. It makes me think about how much I really do know about music, and how hard the stuff is that we do on a daily basis. It’s a nice reminder of how far I’ve come. I love all I’ve been taught.

The Struggle of Love

It’s so damn frustrating to have the person you like not like you back. I’m used to it, but it still sucks. Like I know some people were meant to be friends, but what if I don’t want to be friends? I love you. A lot. For now, as a friend. But  I feel like I could love you as more than that. Usually, I would jump right in. But I’m hesitant this time. I’ve seen my life fall apart before my eyes, and I’ve lost many friends because I dated someone I was so close with, and we hung out in the same friend group. When we inevitably broke up, because after all, this is high school. But it was awful. And was the relationship we had really worth having if it meant throwing away most of the things that made me happy? Hell no.

            But it’s hard. When you find everything about someone so amazing, even when it’s probably not. You look past their flaws, and you love them for all they’re worth. Their happiness becomes your happiness. And that’s love. But the wrong kind. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I just have to be patient.

Stress

You know what pisses me off? People who complain about being stressed. First off, stress tends to come from being busy. You most likely chose to be busy. Don’t do so many extra-curricular activities. Second, it’s your choice to handle your busyness that way. Why did you choose to be stressed about your load? Be positive. It’s fun to never be bored.

            If you’re in one thing, and you don’t have a job, don’t complain about being stressed. Seriously. I understand everyone has their own problems, everyone handles things differently, and everyone has their own definition of stress. But come on. It could be so much worse. People just need to calm their shit.

            I personally enjoy being busy. No, I don’t handle stress well. But I’ve been bored for so long, I’m ready for some excitement. I’m ready to stay after school until six, saying lines on stage. I’m ready to direct a one act play and make it a gorgeous masterpiece. I’m ready to stay up late doing homework. That’s what high school is.

All-State

I want to make All-State. So badly. But my quartet got changed and now I don’t even have a tenor. Altos feed off of tenors, and now I don’t have one. The soprano and base in my group is are both very talented.. don’t get me wrong. But we don’t blend well together at all. I don’t know, my other quartet was gorgeous. My new trio is going to need some work, but we’ll make it work. I’m doing whatever it takes to make All-State.

            I didn’t get the chance to audition last year, and I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity this year and I don’t want to blow it. I know it’s not going to be super hard, but I have to sound perfect. There’s a lot of competition.

Priorities

Good God I need to get in shape. Like not super bad, but it wouldn’t hurt. I don’t know how to juggle my things though. How the hell do I prioritize things? I want to be academically successful, I want to have a good body, and I want money. Those are the three things I need to prioritize right now. There’s other little aspects in there, but those are the three main categories. Say I’ve had a long day of babysitting, and I want to go out to Panera to eat and do homework. Okay, so I’ve gotten some money babysitting. Check. I want to go do homework and be a good student. Check. But driving there and buying food costs money, so there goes the money part. The food there is not healthy, so that’s gone to hell. All I have left is the fact that I finished my homework. La-dee-fricking-da.

            I know this is a weird thing to be puzzled about, but I’m so serious right now. Eating healthy and working out makes you feel better, but if you’ve had a long day of stressful homework and working, then you’re probably going to want to eat junk food. At least I do, anyway. I know I should just start eating healthier now, but I use to excuse of not having time. I “don’t have time” to make peanut butter toast in the morning, so instead I grab a granola bar, which is not healthy. I could’ve just gotten up five minutes earlier.

            It’s the same way with working out. I say I don’t have time. I’m busy, but instead I use my prescious free time to relax, rest, and watch tv while I could be running instead. I can’t complain about not liking my body if I’m not willing to do anything about it.

The Struggle of Being a Singer

It’s very frustrating when you want your voice to do something that it won’t do. I’m an alto, so it’s frustrating when I want to sing a high note in my chest voice but I can’t simply because of my range. I have a very dark voice. I am not a bright singer. I used to be, but as my voice evolved over time, it’s finding its true spot in the richer sounding category. There will be things that I have to do that require my voice to sound brighter, or require me to remove most of the vibrato, creating a smoother sound. This is hard for me to do. I guess it depends on what it is. But it’s very comfortable for me to bring a dark sound to whatever I’m singing.

            People say “Oh your voice is your voice, don’t change it for a particular type of music.” This is true in some ways. But I think part of the definition of a talented singer is being able to change and shape your voice to fit different types and styles of music. I don’t know maybe I’m wrong. But I need to work on being able to change my voice to fit different styles, while still keeping my own sound, and while still sounding good.

Grateful

Being part of an extra curricular activity is not only for our enjoyment of simply doing the activity, but to also learn what it is to be a team. We have to work together to be the best we can be. If there is anything that stands in our way, or can jeopardize our goal, we have to avoid that. If you’re going to do something, especially something you’re good at it, do it to the fullest extent possible. There are people out there who wish they could be as talented as you, and would give anything to have that. You do have it; take advantage and give it your all.

            I can’t really talk, because I’ve complained about certain things in show choir and stuff. But if you’re in something that a lot of people would kill to be in, don’t complain. Show choir, for example. There were a lot of disappointed people when those lists came up. If you’re in Happiness, be grateful for it. It’s a big deal.

All-State

I’ve got a lot coming up. Most importantly, All-State auditions. I’m really nervous, but also excited. I didn’t get the chance to audition last year, so this is my first time. There’s only one of us on each part, so we have to be ready to handle our own part. I’m nervous I won’t be good enough for the rest of my quartet. I want them to make it in just as bad as I want myself to make it in.

            We have to learn seven pieces of music. They don’t have to be memorized, but by that point, we’ll have them memorized anyway; especially because we have a concert before auditions where the music will be memorized. We have to go in prepared to sing any cut of any song. When we get there, we find out what cuts the judges have picked, and have little time to prepare for it. It’s all acapella, and I’m not sure if we get starting pitches or not. I would assume so.

            If you get a callback, it’s very nerve-wracking. The callback consists of only you, singing your part without any help from your quartet. There’s even less time to prepare for the callback. But it’s such an honor to make it into All-State, even if you don’t make it, it was worth the process. It’s so enjoyable to make such beautiful music.  

Quotes

I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes with you, and explain what each of them means to me and why they’re important to me.

 

“Until you get comfortable with being alone, you’ll never know if you’re choosing someone out of love or loneliness.” –Mandy Hale

 

This quote hits me pretty deeply. I’ve struggled with being comfortable with being alone. I’ve had many friends in the past, and due to different reasons, I have fewer friends now. It took me a long time to get comfortable with being on my own, and I’m finally okay with it.

 

“They eat, they crap, they sleep, and if they’re crying, they need to do one of the three and they’re having trouble doing it. Real simple.” –Matthew McConaughey

 

He’s talking about babies here, but I want to take it a step farther. Don’t over complicate things. Life will be so much simpler if you see it like it is and don’t overthink it.

 

“I knew we’d cross the line, so I quietly erased it while you weren’t looking.” –Rachel Wolchin

 

Take a chance. Take a chance on a new hobby, on person, on life. Live for your happiness.

Love

“When someone else’s happiness is your happiness, that’s love.”  I got that quote from Pinterest; more specifically Lana Del Rey, and I think its genius. I absolutely love it. By love, that doesn’t have to be a boyfriend or girlfriend or significant other. It can be a friend, too. At first, I didn’t relate with it at all. I can be quite selfish at times and only concerned about my own happiness. But over time, I’ve found someone whose happiness is my happiness. When they’re happy, I’m genuinely joyous. And that’s love. I don’t love them like a lover or significant other. I love them as a best friend. I found someone whose happiness is close to coming before mine, and I want them to be as happy as possible. That’s one of the most special things in the world.

Be Happy

This is a happy post. People in this world need to be happier. They need to know that they’re worth so much and that they’re loved. I encourage you to compliment somebody. Tell them you like their outfit, or their hair, or their smile. It doesn’t have to be something physical, though. Tell them they’re talented, or smart, or funny, or nice. It can make a world of difference to some people. I just don’t think people understand how many people are sad, and that won’t necessarily be fixed by a single compliment, but it sure as hell could help. A lot people hide their feelings, and know one ever truly knows what they’re feeling. I’m not telling you to try and get them to pour their heart out to you, but let them know you care.

            It’s been said that the funniest people are the saddest. I believe this is true in some cases. Some people are funny without realizing it, some people are funny for attention, some people are funny to mask their pain, some people are funny to make others happy, and some people are funny so others won’t feel the pain they’ve felt. Laughter is said to be the best medicine, ergo, hurt people want to make others smile and laugh so they can live a pain free life.

            We should all try and bring a little joy into each other’s lives. Just watch what it does to the world around you and how it’ll improve.

Play

I have to admit I was disappointed when I wasn’t cast in the fall play. I was overjoyed for my fellow thespians that landed a part, and knew they deserved it. At first, I didn’t like to even hear them talk about the play. About how much fun they were having; what funny things were happening at practice. But now, I’m just as excited as they are. It’ll be weird for me to go see it, because I’ll be on the other side of it. By that I mean I’ll be the audience instead of being on stage. And that’s okay. I rarely get to see shows anymore because I’m always in all of them. It’ll be especially nice because every cast member is one of my friends, and they’re all so talented, it’ll be an honor watching them perform.

            I will have done it all this year then; that is, if I make it into at least one production. I would have been in a production, watched a production, and directed one. That’s awesome. Not making the play is a bitter sweet situation; it’s a bummer, but it allows me to get a different experience.

Celebrities

I want to talk about celebrities. More specifically, celebrities that are famous for their voices. This specific blog post is totally my opinion, and I’m not saying that I’m right in any way, shape, or form. But I strongly dislike certain singers that sing certain kinds of music. I personally enjoy listening to classical music, or old rock and roll, and especially the classics from the seventies and eighties. Today’s pop music just isn’t that great. Don’t get me wrong; there are some pretty kick ass pop songs out there. But some of the artists who sing them have little talent; once again, in my opinion. I’m not going to give any examples, because I don’t want to step on any toes or bash anyone’s idol, but one of the only impressive things about today’s pop singers is their wide ranges, and most of them don’t even know how to use it.

            Classical music; not only singing world, but in the instrumental world as well, is just so much prettier. There’s no heavy bass, no singers screeching out high notes that they can’t hit. It’s beautiful. Smooth, like chocolate and caramel.

Keeping Music

Although I’ve gone back to pre-med instead of teaching music, I do hope music stays in my life. Other than listening to it, I plan on doing choir in college, and I want to do community theatre. The only problem with that is that I want a choir setting, and community theatre consists of musicals and plays. It will also be hard be involved in something as time demanding as local theatre because I plan to have a family some day.

            I do think it’s strange that people who have such a passion for something, and can find a job that pays you do your passion, still don’t go down that path. I love music more than most things in life, and I always have. It’ll be weird not to be involved with it everyday.

            The way I see it, music isn’t a job to me. It’s a pleasure. I would love to go to work at a hospital, and come home and relax while listening to music. I don’t want to do music all day, and then be sick of it by the end. I want music to remain a joy in my life, and I feel that choosing a career other than music will allow me to do that.

All My Activities

I’m not involved in any activities other than show choir right now, and I have to admit it’s boring. As much as I hate being stressed, I love being busy. And for me, with business comes stress. Oh well, that’s high school for you. Coming up in October, I have several things happening. I have All-State auditions, which are sung in a quartet, and in front of at least one professional judge. It’s very hard to make it in, and it’s a pretty big honor if you do. I’m in the process of learning seven different pieces of music for that. My quartet is made up of the “darkest singers”, meaning exactly what it’s named; a dark sound. I’m so glad I’m in that particular quartet; we can do so much with the dark sound that we have.

 In the middle of October, I have One-Act auditions. One-Act plays consist of three to ten characters, and a run time of twenty to thirty minutes. With that being said, by auditions, I don’t mean I’m auditioning for one. I’m directing one, along with my good friend Kendall. I’m in so many things that require me to be on the stage, I thought it’d be a fun experience to see it from a director’s point of view. Along with my co-director, I get to pick out a play, cast people in it, and be completely in charge of it. It’s a great learning opportunity.

            At the same time that people are auditioning for One-Acts, people are also auditioning for Play Time Poppy. I do plan to audition for it. Freshman year, I didn’t make Play Time Poppy at all. Sophomore year, I got a lead role; the Evil Step-Mother in the production of Cinderella. I was very proud of that improvement. I hope to get a part this year as well. I enjoy a lot because I love children, and the cast gets to perform and interact with the audience a lot, which consists of mainly children ten and under. As a thespian, it’s very rewarding for me to be able to bring the audience, especially children, the amount of joy that we bring them.

            After Play Time Poppy ends, Speech starts. There are auditions to get into speech, and many different categories you can audition for. Just a few of them are Improvisation, more commonly known as Improv, Musical Theatre, Reader’s Theatre, and many more. You’re allowed to be in two categories, but I choose just one: Musical Theatre. I chose not to do speech freshman year, but made it into Musical Theatre sophomore year. I absolutely loved it. It’s so much different from any other activities I do. It’s a smaller group, so there’s more focus on each person. There’s usually not spoken lines, but occasionally a spoken line will be critical to the story and must be done.

            I do like the free time I have now, and I’m trying not to take it for granted. Regardless, I can’t help but miss all the things I’m involved in, and can’t wait for them to come.

Being an Alto

In choir, I’m an alto. More specifically, alto two; also known as the lowest female voice part. I love being an alto, and I’ve almost always been one. In sixth grade, I was a soprano. I know it seems like one year wouldn’t make a difference, but most people don’t switch parts. They stay what they were told to be right at the beginning. Boys are different, of course, because their voices change. Interestingly enough, girls’ voices change as well. Some more than others, but everyone’s changes a little bit. My voice especially changed quite drastically. After getting a large part in my eighth musical, I came to the realization that I couldn’t belt the high notes that I used to be able to. I asked my teacher about it, and that’s the first time I found out that girl’s voices can change. I personally think it changed for the better, because although I lost some of my belting notes, my lower notes became stronger. I do sing by myself in my free time, so this is where my not being able to belt certain notes becomes a dilemma. I can’t sing certain songs as well I wish I could due to this problem. This doesn’t necessarily mean I have a minimal range, it just means I have to use my head voice for more notes than soprano does.

            My voice lesson teacher told me that he thinks I could easily be a metso, which is a voice part in between alto and soprano. I was quite shocked at this; for the past five years I’ve always been on the lowest voice part. I took it as a compliment, because I assume that meant the he thought my range was wide enough that I could move up a half voice part. I want to stick with being an alto, though. Some of the notes are so low and thick, it’s exhilarating to sing them. There have been some occasions where the notes are so low that they overlap with the tenor notes, which is the voice part below the alto, and the highest male voice part. If a female is capable of hitting those notes, that’s pretty cool. It’s such a unique sound to hear notes that are in a male range, sung by a female.

            It’s been said that the alto part is the easiest to sing. I beg to differ. They hardly ever get the melody, and some notes are too high for our range, but are still commonly seen in music because after all, we are still female singers. It’s such a fun part to sing; not too high, not to low. Although we don’t have the melody a lot of the time, we do have some pretty cool harmony in there. And when the melody is ours, we nail it.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

We’re told not to worry. That everything in life will eventually fall into place, and there’s nothing to be concerned about. I’m calling bullshit on that. We have several reasons to worry. Life is scary. The world is scary. What if everything doesn’t work out? No, life doesn’t end if things don’t go as planned. But it does suck. A lot of people have this picture of what their life is going to be like someday, and that makes them happy. But there’s such a big chance of it not turning out that way, people shouldn’t get hung up on that image. I’m one to talk, though. That’s what I think about most of the time; my future; where I’m going to be in ten years. Five years, even. I don’t really focus on the “here and now” as much as I should. I just find the future so exciting. But I do plan things out way too much. I think of the specifics, and if it doesn’t happen that way, I’ll probably be really disappointed and that’s not a good thing. We have to just let things happen. If life doesn’t turn out as planned, that’s okay. I do believe that everything happens for a reason. We were meant to be in the place we are for a reason, and the things to come and exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Feelings

Sometimes I just sit down and write. Or rather, type. Not necessarily about what happened that day; it’s not like a diary or anything. But I have a lot of thoughts, insights, and opinions. It feels nice to get them out, even if it’s just on a blank computer screen. One of my most common topics is love. I’m not saying I have a lot of experience, or any, for that matter, on this particular topic, but I enjoy writing about it. It’s fascinating; the whole aspect of it. The feelings, the actions, even the heartbreak. The whole process is mesmerizing. This is something I wrote, and am not particularly proud of, but it’s what I was thinking at the moment:

Love; It’s a beautiful thing. Or so it seems. It looks like clean, untouchable angel, inviting you to come sit with it. But you sit, and the chair legs give away, and you’re falling. But you’re not falling quickly. You’re falling slowly, giving you time to remember everything that you could’ve done differently, everything that went wrong, and asking yourself why. And as you fall, you look up, wanting to see that beautiful angel again. But instead, you see darkness; Angry, unforgiving darkness. Love in its true state.

Accomplishment

After three months of trying to get up the courage, I finally did a back flip on the trampoline. Not by myself, of course. A friend of mine, 6’1” and stronger than most, helped by flipping me over; similar to something a show choir would do. It was terrifying. But I felt so accomplished when I did it. I knew all along that I was physically capable of it; I’d been doing lots of front flips and I had been a gymnast a few years back. It was the mentality that I was having trouble with. I needed help with it- someone to gradually take their hand away until I could do it on my own. I was so happy when I finally did it by myself. The feeling of that kind of accomplishment is similar in music. Finally getting a certain rhythm or a difficult part in a song, and then perfecting it from there is a great feeling. I’m not saying that jumping on a trampoline and learning music go hand in hand. But they are a good comparison. It’s different in the sense of someone might have to work up the courage to try a new move on the trampoline, but they don’t necessarily have to work up the courage to try out a new song. Although they’re too totally different things, there are some similarities. First, trying out the new thing. Whether that be a twist back flip or singing something that’s usually out of your range, it doesn’t matter. Second, successfully completing the task. Thirdly, perfecting it. Once you have basic thing down, you can work from there. Add a twist to your back flip, or try to do one on the ground instead of using the trampoline. Add some vibrato and crescendos in the song you’ve just learned, or try doing it without using music. It’s a great feeling. It’s important to one’s self esteem to feel accomplished, even it’s as small as this.

Future Career

I’ve recently changed my major. From about sixth grade all the way through ninth grade, I wanted to be an Emergency Room nurse. Possibly a doctor, but who knew. I was planning on going to the University of Iowa for pre-med, and eventually working in a hospital in Cedar Rapids. But in the beginning of tenth grade, and I’ll never forget this, my dad said to me: “Lauren, I want you to get up every day excited to go to work. Don’t look for a job, look for your passion; and if your passion pays, then you’ve got it made.” And that was all I needed to hear. I was going to teach music. Music is my life, and if I could pass that on to other people and get paid to do it? Hell yes I was going to do that. I was pumped. ‘Okay Lauren, new plan.” I was now planning to go to Iowa State University, and double major in Music and Education. I was set; until about a week ago. A friend of mine asked me what I wanted to do with my life, and suddenly I didn’t know. Although music is my passion and always will be, it’s also my pastime; my enjoyment. It’s not a job to me. I’d rather have an eventful day working in the emergency room as a doctor or a nurse, and then outside of work, continue to pursue music in another way. Such as community theatre, or teaching my kids piano. Whatever it takes, music will never cease to be a part of my life. But in reality, an Emergency Room nurse is a better fit for me. I don’t see that as a job, either. I’ve always loved that sort of thing. Blood fascinates me. It’s the coolest thing; having to figure out what’s wrong with the patient, officially diagnosing them, and then treating the problem. If that’s not exciting enough, the emergency part of it is amazing. Screaming patients being rushed into the Emergency Room, needing immediate medical attention. I can get a different kind of joy from that than I can from music, and I think that’s awesome. I couldn’t be a music teacher and then a nurse on the side. But I can become an Emergency Room nurse and still pursue music as a separate thing. I think that’s what’s best for me, and I’m going back to my original plan. I’m not concerned about the financial aspect, although being an Emergency Room nurse would be more financially beneficial.

Music- The Basics

When most people hear the word choir, they picture a group of people dressed in robes, all in rows, watching someone in front of them wave their arms, magically extracting sound from the singers. Sure, if you don’t appreciate music, that’s exactly what it looks like. But oh my goodness is it so much more than that. It’s style, it’s technique, it’s a work of art. People come together and use their vocal chords to create a gorgeous array of sounds. I like to think of the sound as milk chocolate; smooth, creamy, delicious. Yes, delicious. When the right sounds come together, it’s like nothing else in this world. As you might’ve guessed, I’m a choir student, and hope to be a successful choir director one day. I see so much more than just voices making music. I see a clean, blank, white canvas, and each individual voice is a different color paint. They work together to make the most beautiful piece of art you’ve ever seen; or in this case, heard.

            There are many different types of choir. Chamber choir, for example, tends to do classical music and is a larger group. A jazz choir is most likely smaller in numbers, and does all sorts of jazz songs; up-beat, slow and sultry, etc. A show choir is very different from the rest of the choirs. There’s still the four to eight part harmony, but the choir dances as well. In a show choir show, there are usually four to six songs, including a catchy closer and a heart-felt ballad. The type of music is different, too. The audience is looking for a show that’s not like a chamber choir concert or a jazz choir concert. The shows are fun and unpredictable.

            There are a minimum of four voice parts in choir. From lowest pitch to highest pitch, there’s bass, tenor, alto, soprano. In more advanced choirs, the voice parts extend beyond that. Once again in the order of lowest pitch to highest pitch, bass, baritone, tenor two, tenor one, alto two, alto one, soprano two, soprano one. Females are on the soprano and alto parts, and males are on the tenor and bass parts. All these parts work together to harmonize and become one voice. There are times when a choir can have singers it in with such similar sound and shape that the choir itself sounds like one person singing. This isn’t always the goal, but it’s fascinating when a choir is able to achieve that.