Good morning! My name is Sarah Williams. It’s an honour to be here and to share with you the story of how music has had an impact on my life.

(A) Have you ever faced a time when things looked dark and you had no hope at all? Two years ago, I was told I had a serious disease which was difficult to cure. My body ached all the time and thus I thought I didn’t have much longer to live. I was very afraid and I felt so alone and discouraged. Then one day, I had to go through a two-hour medical treatment. The doctor wanted me to relax, so he had me listen to some music, and one of the songs was “Happy”. The song made me feel so much better that from then on I began to listen to music all the time. (B) John A. Logan said, “Music is the medicine of the mind.” And it’s true. Music helped me recover.

(C) Music gave me happiness. When I listened to music, (D) it made my spirits fly like a kite in the wind. (C) Music gave me strength and brought me relief. (E) It was the rock I leant on to become strong and to get through those hard times. Moreover, (C) music gave me hope and a sense of satisfaction. (F) It became my best friend. It spoke words of encouragement to the deepest part of my being.

Of course, I hope none of you have to go through the same kind of suffering that I did. At the same time, we all go through various periods when we feel sad or alone. During those times, music can help you in the same way that it helped me. I hope all of you will somehow begin to treasure music and make it a part of your life.

Thank you!

If you are at home alone and you also want to sing together     1     hundreds of other people, you can try singing in a virtual choir. Anyone can take part in a virtual choir,     2     helps connect ordinary people together and enables them     3     (add) their voices to those of other individuals and become part of the     4     (globe)   ommunity.

The virtual choir was the idea of award-winning composer and     5     (conduct)Eric Whitacre. He began studying music at the University of Nevada in 1988 and     6     (fall) in love with Mozart’s classical music when he sang for the university choir. In 2009, Whitacre received a video of a girl who was singing one of his works.     7     (inspire), he asked his fans to make videos, which he then joined together into one performance. Whitacre’s next effort was the Virtual Youth Choir for UNICEF, which     8     (see) on stage on 23 July 2014 in the UK.

The virtual choir is a     9     (wonder) way for people around the world to sing with one voice and thus make the world a     10     (good) place.

3 . THE VIRTUAL CHOIR

Imagine having the opportunity to sing together with hundreds of other people while you are at home alone. You can do this in a virtual choir. Virtu al choir members record themselves while they perform alone on video. These videos are uploaded onto the Internet, and then they are put together into one video that you can see online — a virtual choir. Anyone can take part in a virtual choir from anywhere — all you need is a video camera and an Internet connection. You do not even need a studio. A virtual choir helps connect ordinary people together. Many people do not have close friends or contacts who have the same interest in music. Many others do not have the chance to join a local choir. A virtual choir enables them to add their voices to those of other individuals and become part of the global community. It has proved to be a positive influence on the lives of many people. As one virtual choir member said, “Music helps me to …forget my problems. With music, I become someone else.”

The virtual choir was the idea of award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre. Born in the USA on 2 January 1970, Whitacre began studying music at the University of Nevada in 1988. He fell in love with Mozart’s classical music when he sang for the university choir. Moved by this music, he said, “It was like seeing color for the first time.” He graduated from university in 1995, and then received a master’s degree in musical composition from the Juilliard School in New York in 1997. Over the next 10 years, Whitacre’s original compositions began to become quite popular among choirs and singers. This led to the creation of the virtual choir.

In 2009, Whitacre received a video of a girl who was singing one of his works. Inspired, he asked his fans to make videos, which he then joined together into one performance. His first virtual choir, “Lux Aurumque”, had 185 singers from 12 different countries. It has received millions of views on the Internet. Since then, the virtual choir has become a worldwide phenomenon. Whitacre’s next effort was the Virtual Youth Choir for UNICEF, which was first seen on stage on 23 July 2014 in the UK. Altogether, 2,292 young people from 80 countries joined in to sing Whitacre’s song “What If”.

The virtual choir is a wonderful way for people around the world to sing with one voice and thus make the world a better place.