It all started in 8^th grade when I was at Briarmeadow Charter School, a public HISD school where the principal at the time was Lynne Barnes, and my English teacher was Julie Goodloe. Our school was very small with about 25 in my graduating 8^th grade class, so we didn’t have electives, but we still had that ancillary thing, like elementary students have. Every day we did something different after lunch. On Mondays we had visual arts, Tuesdays and Thursdays we had PE, Wednesdays we had Computer, and on Friday we had Early dismissal. Later during the year we were told that we would have Choir on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At the time I was playing the violin, and there was no music program at our small school, so I was excited. The catch was, it was going to be during lunch. Choir was to start on a Thursday, and during that week, I overheard a conversation with Julie Goodloe about some guy named Sid and something to do with the Choir. I was kind of scared of the name Sid ever since I watched the movie Toy Story, but nevertheless, that Thursday, I got my lunch and walked in to the music room to see some dude with white hair and some lady next to him. They introduced themselves as Sid and Mitzi. After that, we started to sing “warm up” songs about mamas, and keys, and radar blips… I didn’t at the time understand what the warm-ups purpose was, but I already was having the best time that year.

            My mom at the time was running the chess club and saw how much I loved the choir, and how my siblings loved the choir. It just so happened that the Church where Sid and Mitzi were from was from St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. So on Scout Sunday, My whole family was in our scout uniforms and we joined the church in front of the whole congregation. That Sunday, I was referred to Pure Sound and was told to be there at 4:15. So I did, when I got there they were singing that song about mamas, and keys, and I felt a part of it already. Some lady named Ann asked me what voice part I was, I said Sid would know, Sid told Ann, and then Ann placed me in a section called the tenors, where I was instantly welcomed and greeted by people I had never met before. The music we sang was so beautiful and fun, and the people there were so amazing. I couldn’t wait till next Sunday, and the next and the next.