Time to shine

A choir student’s stressful expirence becomes her best high school memory

The stage lights brightly shining down on her, lighting up the dim stage. The audience was filled with familiar faces, and the warmth from the lights heated up the theater. Elleanor Cooper, a choir member at Rocklin High was about to sing a solo for the very first time in front of an audience. Although she felt confident, stage fright was beginning to take hold of her thoughts. Underneath the harsh lighting, her heart was racing. Behind her were her peers, who would be watching as she sang. They all wanted to get the performance over with because they were scared. As her solo part arrived, her palms began to sweat. Would she mess up in front of the audience? Then she sang. Her mind went blank, only focusing on getting the notes right. What was only a couple of minutes felt like forever for the whole choir. Astonishingly, she did great! Has all the practice finally paid off? As the audience bursts into applause and cheer, Cooper couldn’t help but feel awe at herself for hitting every note, especially after the choir had struggled for so long on this piece. This was the moment she decided to pursue a music degree and hopefully become a music teacher. With that, a single opportunity began a new path in Cooper’s mind.