![](\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/__dQCWErAY9c\/S8vThlcbEoI\/AAAAAAAAAHs\/Et80JIaWPHQ\/s1600\/choir.jpg\")
<\/a>Our oldest son told me once: \u201cMom, life is not an opera.\u201d Oh, I don\u2019t know about that. My older sisters and I called ourselves \u201cThe Singing Salerno Sisters\u201d when we were growing up. We sang constantly: pop songs, church pieces and folk music. When I became a mother, singing my babies to sleep was merely the end of a day spent singing to them. Now, I sing while schlepping our boys to their activities. I sing (not too loudly) to relieve my stress in the grocery store line. I sing while waiting for the tank to fill up at the gas station. All my singing, however, largely has been done in private.\u00a0I hadn\u2019t sung in any kind of group for at least a decade until I joined our church choir this fall. Because the choir is so small\u2014two voices to a part\u2014I\u2019ve had to rethink the way I sing and the way I live.<\/span><\/a>
The last time I sang for any sustained time in formal groups was 30 years ago. I sang in three high school groups: chorus, concert choir and madrigal choir. Even the madrigal choir was big enough that I could hide. \u00a0There always were several altos who were much more confident and talented than I. So I hid behind their voices. I waited for them to come in on our part. I followed behind.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t hide now. In my church choir,\u00a0I\u2019m one of two altos. Sometimes, my fellow alto has to sing tenor because her range is too low. Sometimes, she has trouble finding the right notes or rhythms, as do I. This means I can\u2019t lean on her. I can\u2019t hide my voice behind hers. I can\u2019t assume she\u2019s leading me anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n