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up for tryouts for the Chante Chanteuses.
    When Mr. Nelson, the music
instructor, called her name, Rachel walked onto the gymnasium stage
and stood in front of the microphone, her hands folded at her
waist. It was the first time most of the students had heard her
name.
    "Rachel," Mr. Nelson said, "you're
new here, am I right?"
    "Yes, sir."
    "Well, welcome to Chante High.
We're glad to have you. Where do you come from?"
    "Tennessee, sir."
    "Tennessee. What brings you to
this part of the world?"
    Rachel hesitated.
    "Well," she said. "My dad is a … a
carpenter. And, uh, he thought … he thought he could find work
here."
    There were chuckles from some of
the students.
    "Well, good luck to him," Mr.
Nelson said. "And good luck to you, Rachel. What are you going to
sing for us today?"
    "I thought I would sing Unchained Melody ," she
said.
    More giggles, and a mass rolling
of eyes.
    Mr. Nelson turned to the girls in
the audience.
    "I'm sorry, ladies," he said, "but
you are being very rude, and I might add, very childish. You're not
grade schoolers anymore. You are Chante High School students.
Moreover, you are in this room because you want to be a Chante
Chanteuse. That is a high honor in this school, and you are
expected to act accordingly. So if I hear any more laughing I will
clear the room, and there will be no more tryouts today. Is that
understood? Good."
    He turned back to
Rachel.
    "My apologies, Rachel," he said.
"Don't let a few ill-mannered people upset you. You have a lot of
friends here. So relax. And when you're ready, let me
know."
    Mr. Nelson sat down at the piano.
Rachel adjusted the mike and nodded to him.
    What happened next still gives
Tabby chills to this day whenever she thinks of it.
    Out of this slender young girl,
who might have been mistaken for a homeless street urchin, came a
powerful voice that soared across the gymnasium with unearthly
beauty.
    Rachel did not sing Unchained Melody , she
lived it. She lived it for anyone who has ever lost a love, anyone
who has never had a love, any mother who has lost a
child.
    And when she was done, no one
laughed.
    Instead, they sat in silence for
several seconds. Then Tabby stood up, tears streaming down her
cheeks, and began to applaud.
    The rest of the audience followed
her lead, and as the standing ovation continued, Tabby walked up
onto the stage. Tabby, who did not know Rachel Stark, knew nothing
about her, had never spoken a single word to her, reached out and
gave Rachel a hug.
    Mr. Nelson, who had joined the
applause, took the microphone.
    "Rachel, that was remarkable," he
said, "and I think the applause pretty much says it for me, and
that is, welcome to the Chante Chanteuses."
    The applause and cheers started
again. When it was quiet, Mr. Nelson spoke.
    "I think this is a teachable
moment. Some of you, a few of you, for whatever reason, thought it
was OK to laugh when one of your classmates stepped forward to
sing.
    " Unchained Melody , if it is sung
properly, that is, sung with feeling and with soul, and with style,
can be a challenge. You can merely sing the lyrics, or you can bring
them up from the depths of your soul. You can reach for the high
notes, or you can play it safe. You can follow the script, or you
can create your own. That is what makes Unchained Melody such a wonderful
song.
    "Well, let me say that it takes
courage to sing that song and do it well. And if you are a brand
new student at Chante High, if you don't know a soul, if you don't
know how things work around here, it takes enormous, enormous
courage. Could you do it? Could I? Let's ask ourselves.
    "Rachel not only sang with great
courage, with her heart and soul; she not only hit the high notes
and beyond; she not only put her own stamp on the song. She did one
other thing.
    "She bared her soul. She opened
herself up for all to see. She held nothing back. What you saw
today was Rachel Stark … unchained. ( 1 See Appendix) Would that we all
could do that when we sing."
    Later that