Senior Recital: Before and After

Final Prep

I actually went to Ms. Birdwell’s house to make up some lessons and get some extra time in. Great lessons, but I was still worried about my final dress rehearsal on Wednesday. Ms. B tends to grill us more than usual, and they can be really painful experiences. I think it stems from the idea that “there’s no more time, it’s now or never, and there’s so much progress yet to be made.” But Wednesday’s rehearsal came and went. The first number we had to work several times, but after that I really sang straight through. These are pieces that I’ve been performing for a while, and we’re both happy with my progress vocally, so I really lucked out. By the end of the rehearsal she gave me several small tips and pointers, but mostly we both kept saying how excited we were.

The Big Day

When the time came on Saturday, I really knocked it out of the park. Honestly, I surprised myself with how well it went. Not that I expected it to be bad, but there was just something electric in the air. You just know when you’re doing something right. You can feel it. I think it’s because I found the freedom of no more stopping and fixing, no more correcting, no more telling me it’s not enough. It was just performing. The work has been done, now live it. The pieces we chose really showed off what I do best. I entertain, I make people smile or laugh. And I learned that I can also make people cry. That’s cool. I got deep feedback from some people, more than just “Oh it was great, good job,” but to avoid tooting my own horn I’ll let the work speak for itself.

Here’s the link to see it. Be sure to watch “On My Bedside Table,” “Giants in the Sky,” and “Santa Fe.” These are the ones that got the most response. And maybe “She Loves Me.”

The weekend was particularly special, because so many out-of-town people came. Obviously, my family was important, cousins and all. They were impressed, because they haven’t heard me sing solo in years. Also, former roommates came to visit, and I realized that this was the first time we had all been there in two years, since Aaron graduated. And, this was probably the last time we would all be here together.

Aaron stayed through Monday morning, which was just wonderful. The most concentrated time we’ve gotten to spend in a long time. And from what he said, he seemed to need that break from the real world as much as we enjoyed having him.

All in all, it was a great weekend. I learned that not only can I put on a miniature concert, but I can even have fun doing it. Life briefly returns to “normal,” whatever that means, while I gear up for the next big project. In the meantime, I’ve been playing video games with friends, reading, and, well… not singing. 🙂