You know that feeling when your absolute favorite song comes on shuffle? You weren’t even looking for it, but by chance, it just happened. That’s exactly how I felt when I heard the Marist Singers for the very first time last year at Accepted Students Open House. I was a senior in high school and my heart was already set on Marist. It was beautiful, had all the resources to help me build a strong future, was close to Applebee’s and sold burritos until 1 a.m. What more could I have possibly asked for? I sat down with my parents in the gymnasium full of prospective students while the Marist Singers filled the risers. Within two seconds, I was absolutely mesmerized. I immersed myself in their voices and the beautiful harmonies. Without even looking for it, I found something new to fall in love with. I knew that I would eventually be on those risers too, and I couldn’t wait.
Fast forward one year and I’m picking up my red polo for the Open House performance. What? Already? I was just sitting here yesterday at Open House! Then I think about all of the times that my upperclassmen friends at Marist promised me time would fly by. I didn’t believe them, I thought it would be one of the slowest transitions of my life. Thinking back, I realize how much I have actually learned in Singers. I learned that being a singer also means being an athlete. You have to care for your body the same way an athlete does by preparing for any performance, no matter how big or small. Being a singer means being part of a team. Everyone counts on each other for a successful performance, therefore, everyone is expected to be physically, mentally and emotionally committed to the group and the music. The most important thing I learned is that everyone matters in a choral group. If everyone cuts off at the exact same time except one person, everyone will hear that. In the words of Sarah Williams, “the difference between a good choir and a great choir is the openings and cutoffs”. Everyone has to be in sync with each other and the conductor, simple as that. Without Marist Singers, I don’t think I would have gained the discipline I carry with me now. I find myself to be more meticulous and goaloriented than I was when I first came to this school. Working on a team has become a more feasible task. It’s strange to think how someone can learn more in a group of singing women than in a classroom.
I have this strange urge to message everyone who I called a liar when they said time would fly. In the blink of an eye, weeks have gone by, people have jumped in and out of my life, I have learned new and amazing things, I have experienced extreme happiness, sadness, fear and anger, and I’ve made so many new memories. When I first heard of Marist, I knew I belonged here. Sitting in my dorm room now, I don’t regret that for a single second.
This past weekend, I woke up and proudly put my red polo with the Marist logo printed on it. I stood on the same risers and sang for the new prospective students. Somewhere out in the crowd, there was a student who didn’t even know what he or she was about to discover and his or her ears perked up when he or she heard us singing. This past weekend, we inspired other future Marist students and I could not be more excited to have been a part of that experience.