Love Is a Harmony: A Valentine’s Reflection for Singers

Valentine’s Day usually brings to mind flowers, chocolates, and romantic love. But there is another kind of love I think about every February — the quieter kind that lives in a rehearsal room.

If you are a singer, you know what I mean.

Singing is different from any other kind of music-making. A pianist can close the lid. A violinist can set down the bow. But a singer carries the instrument inside their own body. There is no case to put it in. No place to hide.

To sing is to be vulnerable.

And vulnerability is one of the purest forms of love.

When you sing in a choir, you offer something deeply personal — your breath, your sound, your interpretation. At the same time, you are listening just as much as you are producing. You are blending, adjusting, yielding, leading. Harmony is not about overpowering the person next to you. It is about making space for them.

That is love.

There is a moment in every great rehearsal when something locks into place. The chord aligns. The vowels match. The sound suddenly feels larger than the people creating it. You can feel it in your chest. You look at the person next to you, and you both know: that was it.

No one says anything for a second.

That shared silence after a final cadence — that is connection built on shared breath.

Choir teaches you to belong. Your voice matters — not in isolation, but because of how it fits into something larger. It teaches discipline, courage, and generosity. It teaches you to listen.

If you are thinking about what comes next — about college, about your future — don’t underestimate the role singing can play in shaping who you become.

Find a place where your voice will be known.
Find people who care deeply about beauty.
Find a community where excellence and kindness live in the same room.

If you feel most alive when you sing…
If you have ever felt your heart swell in a final chord…

Carry that forward.

The world needs musicians who understand that harmony is built on listening, courage, and love.

And wherever you go next, I hope you keep singing.