This first song is called Alleluia, and it is a piece I got to perform with my high school choir. I chose this for several reasons. To start, I think it's beautifully written and I've always loved the sound of it. My high school choir was a large part of my life, and it's one of the things I miss the most about home. We performed this particular recording in the First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth, which is one of my favorite places to perform because the sanctuary is beautiful and I love the acoustics. I love this song because it has a lot of meaning to me because of the text, and because of the context.
The second song is called The Awakening, and it was composed by Joseph Martin. This was my school's school song. I came from a Fine Arts school, and we didn't have any sort of mascot or alma mater or anything. This piece was performed at every single graduation, and throughout the years it began to be considered our school song. The text is about music and the last pages say the words, "Let music never die in me, forever let my spirit sing. Let all our voices join as one to praise the Giver of the song. Let music live!" That text was very fitting for my school, and for me as a person. It is just a piece that means a lot to me for that reason. It also means a lot to me because it reminds me of my school and where I came from. It reminds me to be thankful for the time I had at my high school, because it shape me as a person and as a musician.
This last song is called A State of Texas and it's by the Old 97s. I grew up listening to the Old 97s. They came from Dallas, and they are my favorite band. I love listening to their music; it just feels like home. I like their style because it's what we call "Texas country" due to the fact it sounds a little bit like country music, but it's definitely its own category. I chose this particular song by them because it just seemed like the most fitting piece because I have so much state pride. Also this is one of my favorite songs by this band. It's meaningful to me because this is the band I listen to when I feel particularly homesick. It just makes me feel like I'm about to take a drive through Texas with my family. It's fantastic.
