Last Thursday night, I attended the POPS concert, the semi-annual performance in the auditorium that exhibits La Canada High School’s various musical programs and raises money to continue and enhance the music department. Many of the school’s musically talented blessed the stage with auditory delight, hitting notes I’ve never heard before and crafting harmonies of the richest timbre. From the seventh graders in middle school choir to the seniors singing their last La Canada Alma Mater, every voice and instrument played with passion and poise. It was an amazing experience to say the least.

This particular POPS concert was the last of the year, the blow out performance for the music department. The theme was “Songs of our Youth” so I had the pleasure of gleefully bouncing in my chair and singing along to the light-hearted tunes of Disney and the heart-wrenching ballads of musicals such as “Wicked”. For a solid hour and a half, I was utterly captivated by this crash course through my childhood. Particularly, the song “I Can Go The Distance” from the movie “Hercules” took me back to a time when I didn’t have a worry in the world, before the reality of the world hit me. Since my childhood, I have grown cold, jaded, and unsure, but the POPS concert helped me to, if not return to my past, re-experience the depth of emotion that I felt experiencing Disney for the first time.
Originally, I did not even intend to attend the POPS concert. After attending a few less-than-entertaining choir concerts in middle school, I wrote them off as childish and corny. But now, I see that the reason I never wanted to go is now the reason why I encourage more people to attend the POPS concert. While some of the songs and intermittent attempts at humor may seem trite and a bit played out, the redeeming factor is the sheer level of musical prowess and talent displayed by our fellow LCHS students. From Nora Sagal’s drowsy dragging style to intense vibratos that fill even the eighth notes, I was blown away by the figurative and literal pipes on these kids. To imagine that this whole year, I’ve sat next to and discussed literature with one of the greatest trumpet players I’ve ever heard. I had no clue! The POPS concert is a definite must-see to both enjoy music for music’s sake and to support our fellow LCHS musical students.
Once again, I had not intention of attending the POPS Concert. But after hearing the buzz around the school and subsequently being harassed by my friends and peers to go, I reluctantly said “Okay.” I mean, why not? If so many people rave about the talent and entertainment, there must be something for me to enjoy! A part of me just wanted to revalidate my judgment from middle school. Are these public high school talent shows still as drab as I thought? More importantly, why does this POPS Concert mean so much to these people? Partially apprehensive, partially curious, I went in with low expectations and mounds of salt. Luckily, I wouldn’t need either.
Through attending the POPS Concert, I’ve learned how music can bring people together. Despite differences in opinion or ways of life, everyone can bob their head to a beat and hum along to sweet melodies. It can help us forget our own emotions and let us live vicariously through the singers’ words, whether it be a silly song about fish underwater or a deep ballad of love and sacrifice. Without mentioning names, it was interesting to see how some people who don’t get along in the social sphere seem to meld together so wonderfully in song. Though their facebook statuses may suggest they should be at each other’s throats, their intertwining voices tell a much different story.
I learned this through observation of the crowd, but also through my own experience. Prior to the concert, my girlfriend and I had a bit of a misunderstanding and the resulting frustration. Though we were not angry with each other, we were annoyed. But by the end of the show, we had both forgotten that we had been frustrated at all. To this day, I still don’t remember why we argued in the first place; all I remember is how the POPS Concert made me feel. As the great and now late Maya Angelou once said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I feel the same goes for music. I may not remember the lyrics to The Strokes today, but I will always remember the excitement of my 6th grade rock band.
This has been somewhat of a wake-up call for me. I wouldn’t consider myself “musically talented,” but at the very least I’m musically apt. More importantly, I love it. Before the reality of money as a necessity for life, I wanted to be a singer/songwriter or perhaps a producer. I wanted to spend my life with music, but due to the grind of extracurriculars and schoolwork, I cut out a lot of the time I used to spend singing, rapping, and playing music. Over time, I got used to its absence and I even forgot how it made me feel to perform and make music. I sincerely thank my friends for making me watch this spectacular show for reminding me the importance of music in society and in my life. I plan to start writing songs and doing covers again soon.

If I’ve learned anything from the POPS Concert, it’s just how valid the statement “Don’t knock it till you try it” is. The POPS Concert made me as gleeful as I had been as a toddler watching Hercules, and I was definitely not alone in that sentiment. I think this shows how we all need music in our lives, one way or another. Just as Dr. Manette ran to his shoe cobbling in times of high stress, people can run to music to comfort them and make them feel whole again. Whether music to you means the great symphonies of Beethoven or the simple rhythm of a hammer hitting a nail, music runs its course through everyone and defines a significant part of their lives.