In my journey as a choir member, I have found that reflecting on my personal experiences, such as past performances, enhances my well-being, particularly when I am stressed about our upcoming performances. I find myself getting extremely nervous and worrying about not being perfect on stage, but I combat this by looking back at my past performances. Instead of only worrying about being perfect for the audience, I look at each performance as a showcase of my growth as a vocalist and performer. I can be proud of how far I’ve come in the past few years and the fact that I will continue to improve as time goes on. So rather than wanting to be perfect, I focus on doing the best that I can do in the moment.

I prioritize my vocal well-being by consistently sustaining a healthy and balanced vocal lifestyle, which includes not raising my voice excessively. I am already not great at yelling, but I don’t make it a habit to raise my voice too much as I know this can damage my voice. I also constantly hydrate myself with room temperature water, and close to a concert, I try to avoid foods that could potentially affect my ability to sing, such as sugary or greasy foods, and dairy. When my voice isn’t at its best, I always make sure to take it easy as to not strain my voice.

Within the choir community, I recognize my potential as a leader, and this became evident through the various times I’ve given advice to my peers. Before our performances for the last two concerts, I always give a pep talk to the choir to calm any nerves, as well as express my gratitude for the synergy of our group, even if I’m also nervous. I can recognize and attempt to mend potentially harmful thought processes and behaviours amongst the group. This was evident after I suggested a mindset shift within the choir when we were faced with situations that weren’t completely present. I believe that it’s important to recognize one’s privilege and approach situations with a “I get to do this task that some people don’t have the opportunity to participate in”. I hope to continue being a positive role model for my peers and learn alongside them.