Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Hoping for a Scholarship

Hey, I just wanted to let everyone know that my audition for the choir/voice scholarship went well, and I was invited back to the first placement in June. Woohoo! I don't know if that means I got the scholarship or not, but if I did I would have several thousand dollars to save for when I actually go to a big college (hopefully UCF).
I would also like to say that the audition was extremely uncomfortable. When I walked into the room, I was expecting to be greeted and then immediately asked who I was, what I planned on doing, etc. This was not the case. I walked into the recital hall, and all I got was a small hello from one of the ten judges, which were all staring down at their folders throughout my entire audition. I was then asked if I needed someone to play my songs for me, and I said, "No, I have my own tracks to sing to." Then, there was this weird pause as I was putting my books and cds down, and I very akwardly asked, "So, do I just sing my first song," to which the answer was "Yeah, go ahead" (this being the same judge that had been the only one to greet me). So, I sang through most of the song, and I was stopped before I could finish. This is where the questions started, but they were not at all like I had imagined them to be. The first question was, "So, where do you go to school? Do you go to Choctaw?" I replied, "No, I graduated high school, and I have been going to OWC for a year now." Another akward pause. "So, why didn't you come to us last year?" was the next question to be asked. I think that I had an out of body experience at this point, and I was looking at my physical self as the head of it completely blew off from the rest of the body. Then, I pulled myself back together and very casually answered, "Oh, I was just trying to get some required classes out of the way for my intended major." Then, the worst question of all was asked. "Oh, what's your intended major." Oh crap. "Nursing" was my feeble reply. Yet another akward pause. "So, the second song, then?" "Yeah, go ahead." So, I sang maybe half of my second piece, and then I was stopped again. "Alright, thank you for coming today. You are invited back to the first placement on June 20. You'll get a letter in the mail." "Okay, thanks!" "You have a beautiful voice." This is where all the judges actually joined in and agreed that I, in fact, had a beautiful voice.

5 comments:

Shannon said...

Yaay Anna! That's really awesome. But shame on you for dissing them for a year, how could you.

You should be very glad that you are majoring in nursing if you did not like that audition. I think it's all of the judges' way of getting back at the world for all of the horrid auditions that they had to endure. "Uncomfortable" doesn't even begin to describe it.

When I was in college, as a voice major, every semester you had to endure a Jury. This consisted of compiling all of the sheet music for the songs that you had "learned" during that semester and appearing in front of all of the voice teachers to be evaluated for your final grade. You selected one song to perform, and then they selected one. So of course you pick the only song that you actually know all of the words to, and then you pray like crazy that they won't pick the Chopin. You walk in, same thing, no one says anything, hand them your music, and go and perform your song. Then comes the agonizing wait while they sift through your music to come to an agreement. The panic continues to rise and then reaches full throttle as they stretch toward the Chopin and inwardly you're screaming "NO!! Pick the Debussy! Please God!". Then, they tell you what they have chosen by using the composer's name. At which point you nod, give a small smile, and look to your accompanist with a look of panic that clearly indicates that you have no idea which song that is because you don't know the name of anyone who wrote them. Then she starts playing, you realize what song it is, and that you don't know half of it, and just barrel on through. Luckily it's in German or some other bogus language, so you can just make sounds. They have the music, so they know you are messing up, but at least you're not humming.

I know I told that story from the second person perspective (right? third maybe?), but really it was about me. College sucks. Poo on college.

Carynanne said...

I've heard that's what it's like trying out for American Idol. Rochelle's brother tried out for it last year and said that you just go in and they more or less nod, and then you sing, and they either give you the thumbs-down or deliberate amongst themselves before deciding. And they wait HOURS to do it. So be glad this is just for some measly scholarship, and not for the greatest national honor of our time. (sarcasm, sarcasm.)

Here's to hoping, though! Good luck.

At least they care about quality voices in the great state of Florida. You should have heard the choirs at Liberty. Yeesh.

Adena said...

Thanks, Anna. I had a dream last night that a bunch of opera singers were prodding me to sing for them and when I did it was awful (and shannon, I said "songs for a new world, haha!)Then, none of them would say anything until I finally asked. I was told, "It was not pretty bad."

I will never sing again.

Anna Farley said...

Hmmm...
DREAM VS. REAL LIFE

I think you'll be alright to keep singing, Adena:)

Mrs. F said...

How did the first placement go?