Developing Your Special Talent, By Angela Knight

I stood nervously on my section of the riser as millions of butterflies fluttered their delicate wings in my stomach. While lost in thought, I vaguely sensed a change in the atmosphere around me. The clashing of drums that had become a constant beat in my head had now ceased and many pairs of brown, blue, and hazel eyes had focused their gaze upon me; making me feel a thousand times smaller. Once the comforting sound of pings from dainty piano keys reached my young ears, the butterflies showed their cage mercy as their rapid flapping slowly diminished. The piano's enchanting combination of musical notes beckoned me to play my role in creating a captivating performance for the hungry eyes that had once frightened me. I stepped down from the riser with a sense of purpose as I approached the microphone. As I isolated myself from the roaring ocean of voices, the butterflies perked up as if on cue. With a single blink, the winged insects were banished as little Sienna peered out at her large audience, let out a small breath, releasing all her nerves, and sang.

Although at times we may struggle to identify our
Developing a skill is not easy and may require several different methods to be tested before an ideal technique is found. I had taken many ineffective approaches, from singing lessons with Angela Knight, who had me sing Disney songs instead of working on core fundamentals, to joining a choir at my mom's church, with a handful of kids yelling at the top of their lungs rather than producing beautiful melodies. I struggled to find a technique that would help me develop my talent. The journey I took to develop my talent was quite strenuous. After the long period of searching, I realized that my dad had been right all along. If I ever wanted to use my talent, I would need to develop it. Development would be difficult, but I was ready for whatever it