Ask Chibi Anything!

My Love for Singing

You're all probably wondering, "Chibi, why are you posting this? Are you making something up again?"

Well, this isn't going to be a long little thing, but this is something I just wanted to share. Sorry it's a bit long, but I honestly wanted to post something different.

When I was little, I seemed rather odd for a kid. I was mostly an outcast because I had strange quirks that made me different. I would talk to myself out loud (I still do this from time to time, and it's a LOT less than I used to), do things that were considered immature, and pretty much, I was just alone most of the time.

Still, there were times that I did do some interesting things that caught people's attention. One of these was when I was 10 and decided to sing with a small group of girls for a school play. I don't know how it happened, but somehow, I ended up having to sing a solo. I will admit that I was afraid at first, but then, I realized that I wanted to do it. Before I knew it, I was singing in front of the entire school-for all of the grades-as I calmly sung the lyrics I practiced. The music teacher encouraged me to continue sharing my gift to others, especially since I have a perfect pitch.

As the years passed, I continued to sing, but I wouldn't get another chance to sing a solo until I ended up getting roped into singing a song for a Christmas play at my church. Like before, I learned my lines and the song that I would end up singing for the whole congregation. It might sound scary, but honestly, I didn't mind singing a solo because I thought it would be fun.

On the day of the play, I was careful not to rush through my lines as I played a shepherd tending to the sheep comforting some little lost angels. That was the only thing I had not done in the previous play since I had no speaking parts and just had a solo. Once the music started to play that would lead into the song, I felt so comfortable doing it without having to worry about anything else. After I was done, I said probably another line or two and just walked off to wait for the next opportunity to sing.

Near the end of the play, I had to sing one more solo that tied near the tail end of a song. Just as I was about to start singing my part, the tape recorder that was playing the instrumental suddenly stopped playing. Without hesitating, without another note of background music to support my voice, I just SANG my lines since I had the melody flowing through my head before the last singer picked up the final part of the song. They managed to fix the problem for the next song, but everyone was stunned that I just handled it without an issue.

At that time, I was just singing for fun, so I had no idea I would attract some attention. Months after my solo, I was searching for my grandma since she wandered off somewhere, and I ended up near the church's choir room. The director happened to notice me and drew me in since she had seen me sing and was curious about me. There was also man in there, and she decided to have me sing a bit to see what I was capable of singing.

Long story short, I sang for a bit as she seemed to get a better grasp of my vocal range. By this point, my grandma, who I had been searching for, happened to find me when she heard me singing in the room. The choir director, who had been listening to me sing, was a bit surprised when she learned more about who I was related to.

I would end up singing another solo and eventually, I would join the choir. Later, I learned that I was a first soprano, which would explain why I struggling on the lower notes. It was the high notes that I was able to handle without much trouble, though reaching them was a bit trying at first. I never questioned it though and just kept practicing.

There was a time I sang for a Vacation Bible School class. I honestly thought it was very sweet since I found myself having fun with the children. They were all well-behaved and I think they all enjoyed hearing me sing to them.

During my time singing at the church, I would eventually be asked to sing for a couple of songs at a wedding in a duet (male/female). The only issue would be having to sing a few low notes, and at first, I struggled to reach the pitch required. The choir director was going to change them to something I could handle, but I told her I would be alright and not to change them. I didn't think that the songs would be the same if she made any further alterations (she already had me singing the higher parts of the male portion because the man singing with me was a bass).

A week between practices, I walked outside and continued singing the same part that gave me trouble. My voice strained and cracked as I struggled to will myself to get past that physical barrier that kept my pitch from going lower. Every day, I practiced that same portion of the song that was giving me a lot of trouble, and I persisted to push my voice lower. An alto could easily strike that note, heck, even a second soprano, but my voice was not meant to handle notes that were just within that range.

Two days before the next scheduled practice, I sang the note that gave me trouble, and my voice was finally hitting it without breaking, but it was without much power. I kept pushing that as it started to grow stronger, the connection was starting to form as I expanded my range despite being a high-pitch singer. I could have let the note for the song be rewritten slightly, but there was another song with the same pitch, and I was determined to push my vocal range.

By the next practice, I hit that note without a single bit of strain within my voice. The choir director paused as she looked at me rather stunned, wondering how I managed to pull it off. I want to think she believed that I wouldn't be able to hit it and was still planning to change the pitch. Somehow, I managed to reach it after practicing it constantly for a whole week. All I did was just sing as I went for my daily walks, and every single time I failed, I just kept pushing to at least get closer to it.

On the day of the wedding, I had no trouble singing both of the songs, especially when it came to the low parts. I had fun singing, and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better experience.

A year later, I was a senior in high school, and at the time, I had decided that my final year of high school was going to end with wonderful things. I decided surprisingly to audition for the talent and fashion show. As for the song, I only knew one song that I could easily sing with confidence since it was one I practiced often.

When I decided to audition, I was a bit nervous, but I pushed it aside and just sang in front of the panel that were making their choices. They ended up getting stunned, and they knew they had to include me in this show. Even the vice-principal wanted me to sing in this.

The night of the show was probably very stressful since I had NO idea I was going to be singing in front of a LOT more people. I will admit I had temporarily forgotten part of the song and had to practice it in front of a couple just to try and recall the words. I practiced until the very last minute when I finally was called upon the stage, my hair and makeup were done prior to the show by a local group.

Stepping up on the stage and into the blinding light, I couldn't see the crowd at all. And yet, I knew that they were all out there waiting for me to sing. The recorded piano music started to play, and in moments, I was singing towards the crowd. Even though I had been teased and bullied by some of those students, I put all of my feelings aside and did the thing I loved.

Once I finished my song, I stepped away as I heard a roaring applause. The vice-principal led me out of the light and told me that there were people giving me a standing ovation. I will admit that I was not expecting that. At the end of the show, I will admit that I wasn't prepared when I learned that I placed in third in the contest. Two groups that performed after me ended up getting the second and first place, and while I was not the only soloist that performed, I was the only one that placed.

A few months later, I would sing for another event before graduating high school.

As the years passed, I would sing in other times, but the one moment that stands out was the time I sang at my grandmother's funeral. Truthfully, someone else was leading, and I was among the others in the audience singing lightly. When she started into "Amazing Grace",  I was swept into the song without meaning to overstep the one leading. Those in the immediate family were stunned, but one of my cousins knew of my talent.

As I finish this writing, I will admit that I enjoy singing a lot more than talking in front of a lot of people. I tend to get a bit nervous at times, although, there are times where my emotions can get the best of me when I talk to people. I will probably post my more interesting stories about that another time.

Eventually, I want to post a song link here, and when I do, I'll definitely post an update.