Dixon: A High School Experience

High school was a crazy time for most of us. Tons of things to do, but did we ever get stuff done? It seemed that with so many subjects I wasn’t sure in what direction my life was going. My choir director, Mr. Dixon seemed to pull it all together for me and my classmates. He was not merely concerned with our ability to sing, but our academic success, our manners, our leadership abilities, how we treated our friends, and how we took care of ourselves. I spent over 5 hours a week following this man’s instruction, and today, as I think back, I feel incredibly privileged. I would not be the same person today if I hadn’t gone through the rigorous and what seemed like endless rehearsals. Mr. Dixon expected us to be better than we thought we ever could be; we were wrong. I remember some of the most beautiful experiences of my life that took place because my director demanded beauty. As we were touring various schools in Houston, we stopped by a huge Catholic cathedral, empty except for a few devout souls, kneeling in church on a Wednesday. High school men and women gathered around the alter, we sang together a sacred Latin song of praise. I had never heard such glorious music as I did that afternoon. The enormous cathedral seemed to give us a sense of urgent desire to sing to our fullest potential. Mr. Dixon had a way of knowing we would love it there because when we finished, he just smiled. This is why we had taken the hour bus ride out of our way, not to hash through notes, nor to work on pitches, but to experience true beauty in a modern world that can seem so superficial. Sometimes I wish I were back in my senior year working under his direction, but the Texas State choral director, Joey Martin, has so far exceeded my expectations and gives the impression that this will be a great year.