Reflection

My first year of college would not have been the same if I had not join Bel Canto Women’s Choir. I have participated in choirs since the seventh grade and involved myself in church choirs since the age of nine. I knew I would find myself singing in choir in college because choir has been a huge part of my life that I can’t let go. Being in choir has also been part of the reason why I chose music as my major; I want music to be my whole life and not just be a part of my life. And ultimately, share my love for music with others through teaching and I hope that God can be seen through my love for music. I feel that being a member of this great choir is helping me start to fulfill that dream.

And that’s what I love about this women’s choir: the fact that it’s not just about giving the best performance and pleasing our audience; our main focus is to minister the audience with our music. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first auditioned for Bel Canto. I didn’t even plan on auditioning for an all women’s choir. What motivated me was the scholarship money that was involved. But ever since my experience with choir camp before orientation and knowledge of what this choir was really about, I knew I made the best decision to audition for this choir.

The one thing that’s very similar to my high school choir was the music. Like my high school, Bel Canto sang from classical pieces to pop songs; we didn’t just sing classical or pop. I was surprised that we did choreography! I definitely felt more at home when we started learning the pop songs and choreography. The big difference I’d like to point out was really connecting to our music and applying it to our lives. It was a new experience for me to introduce and to explain each of our songs. Without talking about the song, we wouldn’t be able to minister to the people we’re singing to. It really grabs our audience’s attention and encourages them to listen to the song, especially when it’s in a different language. What really touches my heart is hearing the comments of the people after every service. It means so much hearing the nice things they say because sometimes I would think to myself how mundane it would be to sit through an hour of singing. The people are really ministered and they appreciate our visit to sing for them.

A song that really inspires me and puts a spark in my heart is our choir’s anthem, ‘Love Never Fails.’ The text is based on 1 Corinthians 13 which contains my favorite verse, v4-7. It reads, “Love is patient, love is kind, love leaves envy far behind, never boastful proud or rude, love rejoices with the truth…” Every time we sing this song, it always feels like the first time and this piece becomes a worship song for me. I can never sing this song without feeling or putting my heart into it. It really has blessed me in every way and I know it has been a blessing for others who hear this song.