Shine Bright Like A Diamond
As soon as she could start speaking, my oldest daughter was singing. She found a tune in just about everything, whether it was her ABC's or a television commercial. Although, it wasn't until she fell in love with Frozen that her voice really started to shine.
I realized that she had an aptitude for music, vocals, and movement. Thus, we began attending various musicals at the downtown Detroit theaters. She continued to listen to music every night as she fell asleep from those various musicals and would sing around the house without even realizing she was doing it.
More and more, I would see her personality come out during her songs around the house. There was attitude, drama, and passion involved in every song. But, the moment she thought she was "performing" in front of an audience, she withdrew herself and became very shy.
Hearing her talent, I knew she just needed to build some confidence so she would be comfortable singing in front of others. Her voice was special and I wanted her to hear that too.
Being too young to join the choir at her school, I started to research other avenues for her to develop her talent and grow her confidence. One of the first places that came up in my basic Google search was School of Rock, which incidentally, was one of the first musicals we saw together.
Luckily enough, one had just opened in our city just a few months before; it was like it was meant to be. I reached out to them and obtained a free initial lesson for my daughter to see if she would like it.
During the first visit, I sat in the lesson room with her during the beginning until she was comfortable. Then, during the remainder of her lesson, I exited the lesson room to go on a tour of the entire place with the owner. The history of music and the overall attitude and sound of the school was incredible.
As we walked up and down the hall, I was able to peak in every so often through the glass door and see my daughter fully engrossed in her lesson. After the first day, she was hooked, and we were enrolled in weekly lessons.
The School of Rock instructors work so well with each of the children and the overall environment is warm, welcoming, and up lifting. My daughter was quickly able to feel comfortable singing her little heart out.
She became so comfortable in fact, that she was able to sing "Into the Unknown" from Frozen 2 in front of her entire Kindergarten class for the end of year talent show. I love not just seeing her voice grow but her confidence along with it.