You never know who you can reach with music
In July of 2019, I had the opportunity to travel with a choir that I am involved in up to Toronto, Ontario. There were concerts and sights that have stuck with me since that trip.
The journey to reach the destination was not easy. Throughout the school year we were working on the music pieces that we would be singing while on this trip. In January of 2019, we took a retreat to North Carolina. On this trip we had a lot of fun during the days, and at night we would rehearse and be picky about the specifics of our pieces. It was summertime and we were all anticipating July and the experience of our great trip, driving from Nashville all the way up to Toronto.
The first leg of the drive was to a college campus where we would be staying for a few days and finishing up the music that we would share. After rehearsals, we enjoyed Cedar Point amusement park before making our way up to New York and crossing the border. When we reached Toronto, we had so many fabulous experiences.
One of these experiences included singing at a summer camp for children in the city that did not have as many resources for music as other children. During the performance, we were in an old gym and a rundown building. This performance was truly remarkable, getting to watch these children light up as soon as we started singing and doing motions to the beat. At one point we got to do the motions with the kids and interact with them. These kids were truly what sparked my love and passion for sharing music through voice.
The rest of this trip we continued having performances that truly had an enormous impact on us. Such that when I came back, my passion for music changed so much. My perspective on the world also changed in that I was much more passionate about sharing and exploring other lifestyles. Being in Canada, I learned so much about other music styles and lifestyles that I came back realizing that there are so many more ways to enjoy music than I had known.