Dear Future Performers,

Heart pounding out of your chest. So many different thoughts running through your mind. The stage so bright it blinds your eyes. The audience so quiet, you can hear a pin drop. As the music starts playing, you take a deep breath. You know there are people watching you even though you can't see them. But you don’t care, you've been ready for this moment your whole life. Then, you start.

In the middle of your song you feel anxious and excited. You know that at the end of your song you have a huge note to hit. The note you’ve been practicing for the past month. As you approach your ending note, you prepare yourself mentally because you don’t want to miss it or crack. As your heart beats out of your chest your note becomes closer. Four measures, three measures, two measures, one measure, and there it is. You hold that note out for eight counts as your hand slowly raises into the air to symbolize that your done. As you take your bow, and the audience screaming “we love you!” you feel so accomplished and proud and not scared to share your voice with people who love you.

Exiting the stage, you have a smile bigger and wider than your face can hold. Everyone high fives you and tells you that you did great. Some people don’t understand why you're so happy. They don’t know that singing in front of people is scary for you, and that you just did something you feared and you just accomplished something so important to you. You know this adrenaline rush and mix of emotions won’t last, but you know that you won't be able to forget the feeling and that you can save it for the next time you perform.

The next day you come back to the stage where you just performed. You see the dimmed lights, the open space, and the warmth of a single spotlight on your face. This stage is a place to express yourself and to not care what others think. this place inspires; it open you up to new experiences. It makes you confident and proud. You never want to leave because it's so powerful. There’s so many outcomes and possibilities that can come out of standing on that stage and singing your heart out. You know this is where you are safe and free from a world that is so judgemental.
   
Sincerely,
    Mackenzie