Back in the Saddle Again

I belong on stage...That's how it's always been. But in recent years, I've gotten lost in being an adult and forgot what it is that makes me tick. When I talk to people about being on stage or recall past experiences I am often reduced to tears. Not tears of sadness, but really, tears of passion. The reason I didn't go to school to be a teacher is because I never wanted being in the classroom to be an excuse for not being on stage. And here I am, teaching...

My studio has been active for almost two years now and I really do love it. Being able to share what I know with someone to help them find their inner musician is incredibly rewarding. But something has been missing ever since I left college; the opportunity to perform. At CWU I had regular auditions, concerts, master classes, recitals, and I was surrounded by other like minded individuals who spoke my language. Since graduating, the only people I interact with daily that are at my musical level is Jason and the other teachers at Spotlight Studios. Lately, it has hit me that I'm just not happy with this arrangement. I need to do more than teach I need to DO!

So, fast forward to today. I had an audition today!!! Last week, I finally got depressed enough to do something about it and so I went online to Theater Pudget Sound's website and found this audition. This seemingly small step was probably the biggest step I needed to take. I went in today, nervous as all get up, and sang for them. Walking into the room, I felt like I was auditioning for American Idol because there was a big open room, a long table, and three guys sitting behind it looking at me. Yeah, no biggie...AAAHHH!!! People seem surprised that I get stage fright. Little secret, my heart pounds uncontrollably which makes breathing from my diaphragm nearly impossible. Mostly now, my stage fright is limited to auditioning because when you get to the performance stage of the process, everything is second nature. Since auditioning is not a regular occurrence YET, it hasn't quite become second nature, I need to practice more.

With that being said, the audition went like this. I walked in and shook all of their hands then they told me how the audition would flow, no biggie (heart pounding) I smiled and nodded. They had me stand a good ten feet from the table and gave the go ahead for me to let her rip. The song I chose was "Don't Stop Believing." Confession: I've had this song stuck in my head ever since I watched the pilot episode of Glee and one of my students came into my studio to learn how to sing it. Regardless, it's a great song. My nerves got the best of my memory, so I only sang the first verse and the out chorus that everybody knows. I sang it A Capella and managed to stay in one key. My pitch was a bit off, but I hit enough notes strong enough that they could get the picture. Next on the docket they checked my range; low, chest and head. Because of the nerves, I bottomed out at F3, top of my chest voice was D#5, and my high end topped out at C6. Not a range to be ashamed of, but usually, my bottom is closer to D3 and my top is more like F6. Oh well...The last part of the audition was sight reading and part singing. They gave me eight bars of "Lady Marmalade" played through it twice and then had me sing it with two other voice parts to see how I would blend. Of everything in the audition, this part went the best, which I guess is a good thing because that's probably the hardest part. I'm not trying to brag, I just wasn't terribly happy with the rest of the audition.

They thanked me for coming in and said I'd probably have an answer sometime tonight...My audition was at 2pm and I got the call and the offer of a spot at 4pm!!!!!! Thank you God! So what next? My first rehearsal is next Saturday with two rehearsals per week and then on October 9-10, we're going to be doing some backup vocals for Mark Siano at the Triple Door. I'm so excited right now. Someone really does need to pinch me.

As new developments occur, I'll update!

p.s. The name of this A Capella group is called Elegant Catastrophe Singers.

Homeless encounter in Pioneer Square

Jason and I were in Pioneer Square on Wednesday evening. For those of you not familiar with Pioneer Square in Seattle, it's one of the oldest parts of downtown with some definite rough edges. Let's just say that during the day, no worries, however you will not find me walking around that neighborhood at night. Homeless people gravitate toward this area because of the different missions there that offer food and shelter. So expect to run into a few colorful characters when you're there. Normally, I walk past them without even giving them a look, but on Wednesday, I had a unique experience. We parked our car in a paid parking lot because we were running late for a photo shoot and didn't have time to search for street parking. As we walked toward the pay booth, this tall lanky man walked over to us and offered us some assistance. You could tell he was a 'local'. He suggested that we park on the street to save a few. Asked us where we were from. Simple things. Like I said, we were running late and didn't know where this waterfall park was that we were supposed to meet our client, so I asked him if he knew where it was. He said not only did he know where it was, but he'd be more than happy to show us the way. My knee jerk reaction was to decline, but I decided that it was ok. Should I judge him because of the way he looked or spoke? He was just being a nice guy after all.

As we walked, he introduced himself to us as Lorenzo, told a few jokes, none of which I actually understood because of his thick slang and escorted us about a block to the place we were looking for. He had a tip cup in his hand the whole time, but was quick to say that he tries to be nice to folks and offer them help with the hopes that they will tip him for his services. Sure, he expected it. And had we not tipped him, I don't know what he would have done, but there was no need to go there. He was kind to us, so we threw him a few dollars.

Not ten minutes later, another panhandler walked by and asked us for some change. When we said no, he started rambling on about how he's been hustling all day with no luck. Will I reward someone being a nuisance? Never! But if someone does a good deed on my behalf and has a need that I can exchange in return, it is my pleasure to help out.

I believe that God puts people in our lives to teach us a lesson. Thank you Lorenzo for being our teacher.