By Lainey Luginbill

I believe in “Sing Your Way Home.” Choir not only taught me this song, but it helped me believe in the potential for music to shape lives. Music has been in my life for as long as I can remember. Whether that be singing “Jesus Loves Me” in church at three years old or performing “Abide” by Dan Forrest at the OMEA State Choir competition in high school. I always knew that music was going to be a part of my life, but I did not realize until recently that it would be a passion that could fuel a career for me.

The stacks of college and scholarship applications can be overwhelming during senior year. Finishing all of this in addition to my classes left me tired and in need of a brain break, so I decided to scroll through Instagram. A few minutes later, I came across a post. It was a video from 2021 of my choir singing “Sing Your Way Home” by Joseph M. Martin. As the song played, I began to fill with emotion. My favorite lyric in the song is “Wherever you go, wherever you roam, it will brighten your road, lighten your load, if you sing your way home.” This is the healing power of music for me! This lyric reminded me that no matter what is going on in my life, I can always come back to music to inspire me. Music will always be there when I need it.

The universal language of music can speak to all people if they give it a chance. Think about how a song can take you right back to a moment. The Black Eyed Peas takes me right back to my junior homecoming- dancing with all of my friends- sweaty and laughing and soaking in the moment. The “Time of Our Lives” puts me in the driver’s seat of my car, windows down on a warm summer night with friends singing along from the backseat. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey takes me back to my kitchen with both of my sisters baking Christmas cookies and sneaking pinches of cookie dough because the dough is always better than the cookies anyway. Music has a powerful connection to our memories. The only thing more powerful than listening to music is creating music.

When I am singing and creating beautiful music with other outstanding musicians, I am overcome with a feeling that is indescribable. As a musician, being able to influence and impact an audience by doing what I love makes me want to be able to do it for the rest of my life. Music moves people. It elicits an emotional response. It transports us to another time or celebrates the moment we are in. I believe in the power of music. And, I believe I have been called to be a part of sharing it with others. I plan to sing my way home.