Hey guys, I happened upon this site and noticed that a Jr. member named “lucymoon” was having precisely the opposite problem with her daughter that I had in High School, which got me thinking: How does one get necessary experience to overcome stage-fright and gaining self-confidence, etc. when one never gets cast? In fact, for those that did get cast in every production (especially the bi-annual High School musical), auditioning was merely a formality because the Directors were going to cast them anyway. In fact, these were the only students that she assisted with preparing audition songs with; everyone else had to fend for themselves. Hell, only the principal cast members got any sort of attention whatsoever, since the principals were pampered over. But, there were no alternative performance opportunities in my area.
Sadly, in High School, I didn’t have all the advantages that other kids who got all the roles did, such as private Voice Lessons at major local Universities renowned for their music programs, where they studied with vocal Professors and visiting artists! I didn’t even know that this was even a possibility! If I did, I’d have been taking Voice Lessons all through High School. Instead, I had to wait until college before I could take a proper voice lesson; but, then again, my first year was utterly wasted by a woman who had a beautiful voice and had taken years of lessons, but she didn’t know what the heck she was doing to produce vibrato (she didn’t even have her degree in Vocal Performance)! After one lesson I was horse for a week because she kept barking at me to “project” by imagining my voice like a razor and using it to blast off a heavy rehearsal door hinge. She kept blaming me for my inability to progress under her tutelage!
My second voice teacher in college was a genius! He had a Master’s Degree in the subject, and his guidance was the difference between night and day! He was the best Voice teacher I ever had, which many of his former students also say. In fact, he was an expert at trouble-shooting, explaining to me the value of vocal exercises, creating new vocal exercises for me on the spot in order to absolve an issue, how to alter vocal exercises to suit other vocal types, and he passed on much of what he knew to me so that I could teach others! For example, he diagnosed that one reason I have trouble projecting is because my tongue creeps back into my throat and muffles up the sound. So, he invented an exercise with which to solve that problem. After 2 years of working with him he commented that I was developing a vibrato like that of Linda Eder and Streisand! (YAAAASSSS!!!) But, I digress…
How does one in High School supposed to gain invaluable experience and necessary self-confidence when only certain students are cast for each production? In fact, this was why our Prima Donna–our native Diva–was so conceited about her voice and her talent! Heck, everyone in the community seemed to rally around these students to ensure they’d succeed in their ambitions by giving them various jobs and experience that they wouldn’t to anyone else, such as reading the news or reports on the local radio station in town! I also struggled with the fact that I didn’t have anyone in my life nor at school who openly advocated for me and my talents. Though, our worthless Guidance Counselor did get my Mom’s ire when he said, in front of us both, that I had no talent (even though he’d never heard me before). Mom had to fight from reaching across the table and smacking him! I was also told a rather common lie by some other school official whom I’d never met before when she told me that I didn’t have the math skills to pursue music in college! That was a bald-faced lie!
Take Care,
Wade