YOUR STORIES – YOUR SONGS
- mypopchoirsing
- Jun 11
- 5 min read
Musical anecdotes from My Pop Choir singers are a joy to collect because they reflect who we are as people, and as singers. What follows is emotional, inspirational, comforting, sad and happy.
Music, without question, has always been an enormous help to me going through life. It’s always been part of “my very fabric” like a balm ready to soothe or make sense of things.
I found it difficult to choose a song. The reason a song resonates is sometimes pretty oblique. Usually there is just something about the tone or quality of the music itself that I love.
One song that came to mind is Joe Jackson’s “Stepping Out.” For me, the song evokes taking a chance - making a decision on a certain course of action.
Julie Sinclair - Oakville
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Music has always been a big part of my life from church choirs to high school choirs and now My Pop Choir Whitby.
In early summer of 2016, I had a job that I did not really enjoy. My mom’s health was declining and I was doing my best to help her, as well as work full time and it ended up taking a toll on me. I discovered I had a compression fracture in my back and it was quite painful.
I was trying to decide if I should quit my job and just rest and help my mom when I heard this song - “Fight Song by Rachel Platten.” From that day on, I would sing it as loud as I could on my drive to and from work and the words just spoke to me.
Eventually, partly due to that song, I decided to resign and never regretted it. I took back my life! That song still inspires me when I’m down and thinking about future life choices. “This is my fight song, take back my life song…”
I now have a job I love, a choir I love being a part of and I have never been happier!
Linda Stephenson – Whitby
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I cannot imagine a world without music! It has always been a big part of my life and was central to my childhood. My dad was a professional drummer in Montreal’s jazz scene in the 1950s. When he left that world behind to get a “real job” after starting a family, he provided countless hours of entertainment to our family, playing along with recordings of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and so many other jazz and big band greats. My mother was a professional ice skater, so music played an essential role in her world, as a backdrop to her performances.
I’m so grateful that my parents filled our home with music, supported my interest in school choirs, high school band and piano lessons.
Without all that? I likely would not have found my way to My Pop Choir twelve years ago when I needed music in my life again more than ever! Thank you, Mom and Dad.
Susan Ross - Oakville
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Music had always been a huge and very important part of my life, but never so much as during the past three years. In 2022, I suddenly lost my husband of 50 years to complications arising from COVID and four months later, my son-in-law to cancer. He was just 36. Needless to say, myself and my family have gone through some very dark days since this happened.
Here are two songs that I found to be so inspirational and helpful, as they both have a powerful message for anyone going through tough times.
“Carry On”
“Ordinary Miracle.”
Elayne Ruplen - Hamilton
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Music has a way of lifting your mood and helping you connect to yourself and others; or reminding you of a person or feeling you'd forgotten.
What you need to understand and appreciate about singing in My Pop Choir is that in our space, there is no judgement, no labels. You take from the experience what you give and you feel the positivity, the light, and the joy come through the music.
When I sing, there's really nothing like it. For the time we're together, we are united, we sing as one, and we all feel a little lighter when we leave. It's funny when I look back at why I waited so long to join a choir. I wish I would have told myself there's nothing to be scared of and to just let go. And letting go is only the beginning.
Natalia Diaz - Richmond Hill/Thornhill
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The song that inspires me to keep moving forward when life gets hard is called "Overcomer" by the late Mandisa.
Antonietta Waugh – Whitby
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I joined the Etobicoke group two years ago, following my cancer diagnosis and treatment. My cancer was in my salivary gland, under my left chin and the surgery to remove it damaged my facial nerve on my left side, causing my left lips to droop and not to function properly.
I joined choir due to a love of music and singing – I needed to bring that joy back into my life.
And also, to help my lips/face function better by forcing me to get the words out better.
(Sometimes I still have to skip some words that I can’t form/sing properly.) It’s worked!
1. I get all the joy I need on a weekly basis
2. Performing in the BIG SING was the thrill of a lifetime
3. My lips are working better, and I can whistle again
Karen Ann Johnson – Etobicoke
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From private music lessons starting at eight years old to a college diploma in music in the early ’90s, music, in many shapes and form, has always been a huge part of my life. As we grow and life takes us in different directions, we sometimes lose touch with the things that we most loved. I am so excited to have found My Pop Choir and have music once again fill my soul.
Shera Hastings - Downtown Toronto
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A song that offered me comfort and peace of mind is “By the Grace of God” by Katy Perry.
When I was going through a horrible divorce at a very young age this song helped me feel less alone and explained how I felt/was feeling as I started to heal.
“Music exists to speak the words we cannot express."
Anonymous
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There are two songs that lift me up:
“Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac
“Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey (notice a theme)
No matter my mood, either one of those will give me hope and strength to move on.
Mimma Spagnolo – Lawrence Park
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COMING SOON: Our next blog will continue our collection of your stories and songs. Stay tuned!
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