When Outside Opinions Got Louder Than My Passion

Growing up, singing and being in plays was something I really enjoyed.

When I was really young, I would be in plays at church and preschool, wanting only to be the main character.

My parents told me that I was always singing in the house, I didn’t do it for show or to impress anyone, I just did it because I really liked to do it.

In 6th grade, my schools choir was doing High School Musical as their play, so I tried out for the role of Troy Bolton.

I remember very clearly that the top three candidates for the role had to go to the music room and sing in front of our teacher for him to make the final decision of who was going to get the roll.

After a nervous day, the cast was finally posted I had gotten the role of Troy. We went on to perform in front of the entire school, and later to perform in front of the entire district of Saint. Louis. Park.

Something I didn’t see coming, was the teasing and being made fun of. I was made fun of for sounding girly because I had such a high pitched voice.

Now that I look back at it, it’s so funny to think a 6th grader should have a deep voice and sound manly when he’s singing, but in the moment, I let those outside opinions get to me, and I stopped singing and being in plays.

In 7th and 8th grade, I remember that I wanted to try out for the school plays, but didn’t because I was nervous of being made fun of, and to make it even worse, guys were now starting to have deeper voices, and me being a very late bloomer, still had that high pitched singing voice that I knew would be an easy target of teasing.

Although this happened when I was younger, the fear of being judged or made fun of will continue no matter how old you are.

I no longer have the dream of becoming a famous singer, but I do have the dream of making it known to anyone and everyone that you should do what makes you truly happy, no matter your age, and no matter what anyone else will say.

To anyone who is wanting to try something, go for it, you won’t look back and say you’re upset you went for it, you will be upset for not trying because you were nervous of what other people MIGHT say.