Lift up your voice and sing

Music is an important part of my life. It can affect and enhance my mood or my day.

I learned a great lesson from my mother many years ago. I didn't realize it back then, nor did I understand how long it took or the impact it had, not only on me but many other people as well.

When I was a little girl, my family used to do musical performances for a number of groups. One day I overheard my two brothers pleading with my mother, asking, "Does Ann have to sing with us? Can't she just do a dance or something?" (You'd have to have seen me dance to realize what this said about my singing ability.) I don't recall what her answer was, but she allowed me to continue performing with them. A few years later, when I was in the third grade, there was an announcement that the school would be holding auditions for a choir. I signed up and arrived in the multi-purpose room at the appointed time. When it was my turn to audition, seasoned performer that I was, I walked confidently up to the front of the room. The director asked me if I had prepared a piece. I replied, "no." She then asked me if I knew "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and I responded that I did. I remember what happened next as though it were yesterday. The accompanist played an introduction and I began to sing. The conductor had a big smile on her face. When I finished, she turned to the accompanist and said, "Let's try it again and see if you can find what key she is mostly singing in." When I was done, I left, certain that not only would I make the choir, but that I would be called on to perform many solos. The list was posted and I excitedly looked for my name. It wasn't there. Surely there must be some mistake! I spoke with the director to see if she had inadvertently left my name off. She replied, " You certainly sing with a great deal of enthusiasm. Keep working and maybe you'll make it next year." I was devastated. I went home, hurt and upset, to the loving arms of my mother. She hugged me and promised to keep working with me. Several months later, my family was able to get a piano. I'm not sure if this was a back-up in case I never learned to sing, or just an opportunity to add to the family musical repertoire. In any case, I started lessons. My mom would listen to me practice and have me sing with my pieces. She would have me sing the counts or the letter names of the notes and help me when I was off pitch. As the years went on, it became evident that I did not share her beautiful soprano range. She then began to teach me to listen to the harmony. In church, she would quietly sing the alto part into my ear. She started taking me to choir practice and made sure I sat in the middle of the alto section next to the strongest altos in the ward. I felt like I had finally learned to sing when the choir director asked me to sing a solo. I will never have a beautiful voice, and I still have to listen very hard to hear my part, but thanks to my mother, I am confidently able to lift up my voice and sing.

The rest of this story is even better. My mom started to teach 5^th grade shortly after I didn't make the school choir. One of her extracurricular jobs was to work with the choir at her school. Because of my experience, she vowed that she would NEVER tell a child they weren't good enough to sing. She let everyone in the choir who had a desire to be there and was willing to work. Her choirs were the largest and best choirs in the district and the state. They sang amazing two part harmony with an accompanist to some very difficult songs. They were invited to sing in many places.

Mom didn't just touch the life of her tone deaf daughter, she taught thousands of children to "Lift up your voice and sing!"