The pot is soft in my small hands, smooth clay slipping underneath my thumb as I round out the edges, finally ready to submit to the kiln. I smooth it out one more time, and as I do I feel the dusty table instead of the smooth clay. The bottom of the pot has ripped.

With a groan, I try desperately to repair the finicky piece, calling a posse of more artistically inclined students in an emergency room operation to save this sagging plate and turn it back into a pot before the end of the hour. As we frantically work, I realize again with a pang that art is not my calling. My friends smooth it into a simple pot, and that’s the end of my experience with clay.

Art took another form for me in band. Specifically, the baritone. I proudly tote my enormous brass instrument (the gateway to the tuba!), and sit with just two other brave students. 

But the Baritone is not my thing either. For all I learn my new music, buzz loudly, and memorize the three golden keys, it is clear this instrument is not quite calling my name through its mouthpiece. Besides, I limp underneath the massive case, and it’s too inconvenient to take to my room to practice. 

My failed art experiments were not 100% my idea. Yes, I chose to make a blue pot or to play the largest instrument I could find, but I had never signed up for ceramics or band: it was elementary school. The first art class I chose, the one I was thrilled to take heading into middle school, was choir.

In Clague Middle School’s choir, my passion for singing met the incredible teaching of Ms. Hochella, whose exuberance paired with firm etiquette and technique made me into a more confident singer and student. 

At the end of 7th grade, during online school, Ms. Hochella’s commitment to keeping us entertained culminated in a huge team competition. To win more points, my competitive self chose a dance option, and performed an entire number dressed as a musical note in front of a giant musical staff (a bedsheet with scotch tape). The silly, creative, ridiculous games of my middle school choir gave me a high point of the day, and my mom loved her free daily concert in the living room.

Ms. Hochella pushed me to become a section leader in our choir, gave students a chance to try new singing techniques in the Noteworthy choir, and would come to see my theatre shows, supporting the arts in my life.

I chose in-district transfer to Pioneer for the choir program, and it remains as one of the most valuable parts of my high school experience. Mr. Lorenz’s incredible teaching both in choral technique and in leadership in the arts has certainly made me a better singer, leader, and person. Most importantly, it is apparent that Mr. Lorenz truly cares about his students and his program both on and off the stage.

Our fall choir concert is tomorrow, and as I reminisce on my varying degrees of artistic success in the arts, I will always center back on choir. Using the words quoted by Pioneer choirs itself: “music and singing have been my refuge, and music and singing shall be my light.”