"Once in a Lifetime"
This is it. Our time had finally come. Months and months of intense practice brought us to this one moment, a moment that we would never forget. We walked on the stage, looked up into the lights and then down to the audience below. Our hearts were pounding. Each of us took a deep breath as our conductor lifted her hands, and we began to sing. We were finally here. We were performing on the stage of Carnegie Hall.
I was a regular student at Lone Peak High School. I lived a life not much different than any other teenage kid. I had normal interests and hobbies. Friends were a high priority and I worked hard for good grades. I had dreams and hopes of what my future would be like. But starting my senior year I had no idea that I would be doing something most people only dream about.
It was an exciting day when our teacher announced that we had been chosen as the featured choir to perform in Carnegie Hall. I was a member of Lone Peak’s Chamber Choir. We had many talented musicians and were a good choir, but none of us would have imagined that we would have such an extraordinary opportunity. It wasn’t long however, before we realized how much work we had ahead of us. Performing in a prestigious venue such as Carnegie Hall requires perfection, and perfection was our goal.
The months preceding our performance were difficult. I spent many long hours practicing on my own and with the choir. I will admit there were a few moments when I questioned if Carnegie Hall was worth it. Who knew how much work could go into four songs that were only about three minutes long? Learning each of our parts was just the beginning of the work we had to do. We sang each song over and over until they were perfect and then sang them some more. In fact, our choir teacher adopted this philosophy: we won’t practice until we sing these pieces perfectly, we will practice until making a mistake isn’t possible. And we did.
In addition to the quality demands, we had the challenge of paying for the travel and living expenses in New York City. We organized several fundraisers to ensure that everyone could go. Our teacher worked hard behind the scenes, making sure everything was planned exactly. Parents volunteered their time to help in any way they could. Amidst all of this hard work, I learned an important lesson; great experiences don’t come for free. Some of the sweetest experiences in life often come after much work and even pain. Months of work went into 15 minutes on stage. But those 15 minutes made every moment of work leading up to it worth it. What would it have been like for us to leave the stage of Carnegie Hall knowing that we could have done better? I’m glad I didn’t have to find out. This is one of the most treasured moments of my life because I know that we gave everything we had.
Life has gone on, I’m now in college. I’m working to find my role in society and trying to lay the groundwork for the rest of my life. As I am making goals for my future, an important lesson sticks with me from my experience in my high school choir. Dreams can become reality. I had the opportunity as an ordinary teenage boy to sing in one of the world’s most admired concert halls. I now know that if I put my mind to it, I can achieve my dreams. I will never give up on my dreams, nor settle for a life that is less than I imagined.
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