“Music is like a bridge that leads us to God. It is capable of transmitting feelings, emotions, even the deepest stirrings of the soul, lifting them up and transforming them into an imaginary stairway connecting earth and heaven.”
– Pope Leo XIV
It’s impossible to believe I now have my first high-school graduate. Among the wonderful week of celebrations that my daughter’s all-girl school planned was a tradition called “Senior Sing.” I attended this event for the first time as a junior parent last year and in the days leading up to it, I would joke with my daughter Annie that it sounded like a terrific waste of time. Every year, each class rewrites the words to a song and sings it to the seniors. The seniors do the same for each class. There’s even a song to the parents and one to the faculty.
“So, a dozen songs are written each year?” I remember scoffing at the thought while lamenting all of the tuition I was paying. “Why not just use the same songs each year and save a lot of time?”
This year, as my own senior introduced the song that she had written for the freshman class that included her sister, my scoffing turned to some light sobbing. I knew exactly which lyrics were written just for the two of them. This year was different for them. Next year will also be different. Each year needed its own song.
Beyond the young ladies’ creativity, it was fascinating to see how much more cohesive and harmonious each grade became in their performance as they got older. Did they grow in maturity? Sure. Practice? Of course. But everyone in that gymnasium could hear in the seniors’ performance that they had not simply learned and written a lot of songs, they had written years of songs, together.
As I wiped my tears, I couldn’t help but think how important it is to keep writing something new— whether it’s hymns at Mass, traditions at home, or practices at work. As a leader, how often do I hand something down without ever inviting someone to author something new? In the spaces of my life where I am considered an upperclassman, am I willing to keep learning, keep creating, keep receiving? Where is the Lord asking me to hear something differently through the creativity of those younger or the wisdom of those senior to me? “Senior Sing” was worth all the time and every cent of tuition.
Whether it’s a classic or something we’ve just written, let’s remember to sing our praise to the God who makes all things new.
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