[Student Voices] The Song in My Heart
Published: 17 Mar. 2025, 09:16
Updated: 17 Mar. 2025, 10:04
Jiwon Baek, Hansu Middle School
by Jiwon Baek, Hansu Middle School
Last year, I practiced hard for an elementary school presentation in front of students and teachers. Right after I stepped onto the stage, my hands began to sweat and tremble. When I started to speak, my voice went low. It didn’t sound like me. I was trying so hard that I forgot what I had prepared. I sometimes stopped during the presentation, wondering, in a dazed state, if I could find a way to continue. When it was finally over, I could hear only the merciful applause from the teachers. I couldn’t hear any applause from my friends. My heart felt empty.
At that time, I was a very shy girl. However, that would change a few months later, after I joined a musical production and performed in front of the school.
This was my first time playing the melodeon, which is like a mini-version of the piano. On the first day of our training, I met my friend, Emily, who was great at reading music and playing the melodeon. But she was not my friend right away. I was very bad at reading music, and I thought Emily might help me out. So I asked her with a cautious tone: “Please help me.” I wanted to learn from her and be friends. She replied: “Oh... okay...” I could see in her face that she was not excited about this. She dropped her eyes and looked away. The room felt suddenly a little colder. Her reaction made me feel embarrassed and inferior, so I practiced and practiced. I read music every single day. Eventually, I became as good as her. She respected me and we became friends. Later, when playing the melodeon felt like dancing with a feather, I looked over at her and smiled; she smiled back.
Since so many students decided to play melodeon, we were divided into groups to practice. In my new group, I met Alex. He did not follow the teacher’s instructions. He didn’t try to cooperate with the group. Instead of practicing, he talked to the other students and tried to distract us with jokes. At that time, I was trying to assist the music teacher as she helped students who were new to the instrument. I showed my friends where to put their hands. If someone forgot their melodeon, I let them borrow mine. Meanwhile, Alex was trying to disrupt us. But I didn’t get upset with him. I attempted to help him, too, though he wasn’t that interested in my help. All the while, I was learning something important from him. He was teaching me to be patient.
Through the musical production, I learned the most important thing: courage. On the night of the concert, I climbed onto the stage and faced the audience.
“Thump thump thump thump.” I kept my noisy, pounding heart from escaping my chest and decided to show off the skills I had been practicing. The songs played at our school concert were from Disney movies, including “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King. In Swahili, this means “Let go of all your worries.” To me, it means having courage in your current job. It means performing with confidence and enjoying the experience. It means feeling satisfied and proud of myself.
As we played the song, my worries vanished.
The next time I gave a presentation at school, I could hear this song in the back of my mind. It meant I was going to nail it.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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