I’ve made a monthly playlist each month since October 2018, each over three hours long. Those that know me know how excited I am for the start of each month; it’s like a new chapter of my life is beginning. Sometimes I look back on them, reminiscent of the person I used to be, though I am slightly embarrassed by my middle school obsessions with Juice WRLD and XXXTentacion. With over 330 playlists on Spotify, I’ve carefully curated my listening to a variety of artists and genres; the best thing people can say to me is that they like my music taste. My AirPods are perpetually in my pockets, if not in my ears, throughout each day (I apologize to my freshman and sophomore teachers for listening to music in your classes, I try not to do that anymore). I express my love through songs; my texts are full of Spotify links sent to friends with the tagline “This reminded me of you.” And so for my last Arlingtonian article, I want to say a thank you to each part of my life that is connected to music. 

I truly wouldn’t be who I am today without the influence of music, and a vital part of that is my involvement in the choirs at the high school. Each day I have at least 90 minutes of pure singing, sometimes more if I have Bel Canto. That break in my monotonous day was sometimes all that motivated me to go to school in the morning. The support of my choir friends, teachers, and peers in Vocal Ensemble all have pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of and boosted my self-esteem and confidence in my abilities. I’m truly grateful for that support system and the lessons and wisdom I left with it. It’s hard to think that, in a couple of weeks, I’ll be leaving it all behind. Thank you Room W2407 for all of the good memories, the grueling 7:20 a.m. practices, and the diverse repertoire of songs that I was privileged enough to sing. 

My second thank you is to my family. Growing up, I would often be awoken by Bruce Springsteen or Fleetwood Mac playing on our stereo downstairs. I grew to learn each Led Zeppelin song word for word, down to the minutes-long guitar riffs. I was raised on The Who, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and much more. Strong memories surround me of my parents dancing and laughing in the kitchen, sharing music of their time with me. I’m so grateful I was born in a musical household where I wasn’t afraid to be myself. My parents, my mom, especially, have always understood my love for music and kept challenging me to try new instruments and join choir group after choir group. And of course, my family wouldn’t be complete without my older sister, June. Though, in her teenage years, she often tried to hide her music taste from me (even going so far as to block her Spotify account from me for a brief period of time) she’s always been someone to look up to and a support system for me to fall back on. I can credit some of my favorite artists to her, such as Dr. Dog, boy pablo, or Childish Gambino, and I know I can always count on her to support my musical endeavors– she even helped me pick the song I’ll sing for my senior solo (“Let the Light In”). 

And last of all, my thank yous would not be complete without thanking my friends, especially my ride-or-die best friend, Sara. Sara, thank you for making the effort to come to each and every choir concert of mine, whether it be 40 minutes or over two hours (shoutout Follies!). Thank you for being my endless concert buddy, for waiting over 12 hours in the rain just to see Boygenius and Clairo in the third row of the pit, and for emptying your bank account with me whenever an artist goes on tour. Thank you for wasting my gas with me driving around Columbus blasting Lana del Rey and Ashe; I hope you know that I will look back on those days forever. Next year even though we will be over 2,700 miles away from each other, I know our bond will never end. 

It’s sad to write this, knowing this is my last story for Arlingtonian. This community has been an integral part of my life as much as music has, and I’m proud to say that this coming fall I will be majoring in journalism at San Diego State University. Nonetheless, I will never forget my ties to music and the strength and encouragement UA Vocal Music gave me. I don’t really have any “wise words” to tell the underclassmen reading this, except this: do what makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Whether that be music or otherwise, do what makes you feel good, and be proud of it. Fill your high school life with laughter and people that care about you because four years goes by really fast.