Exhibit: Hanover- Horton High School Talent Show and Fourth of July Talent Show

Benchmark: Individuality

Skills: Performance

 

    I have always loved performing and I have always tried out for solos in the choirs that I have been in and in church I have performed solos multiple times either with piano accompaniment or by playing the guitar myself. I have performed in The Hanover-Horton High School Talent Show my freshman, sophomore, and junior years. The first two years I performed solo freshman year with a karaoke track, and the second time I played guitar. Then my junior year I performed a duet with Alivia Reams with a karaoke track. I also performed in the Hanover-Horton Fourth of July Talent Show where I placed first in my age division.

 

    Performing is not something that everyone is comfortable with. It is something that I still get nervous about! You are all alone up there singing a part by yourself. It’s different from singing in a choir where you have your whole section right there with you singing the same part. If you are going to perform anything you have to want to do it and you have to practice until you can’t get it wrong. You should practice until you can’t get it wrong because then when you’re nervous and shocked by the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at you in the audience you can still go out there and do what you set out to do. To perform a solo you have to be dedicated to your music. You have to know it inside and out and know exactly how you want it to sound so that you can make it into a reality. For the school talent show I practiced everyday and I knew that it was something that I wanted to do. I was excited to show the school that there was  something I was fairly good at and I enjoyed the experiences. For the Fourth of July Talent Show I took a risk. I played guitar and performed an original song. I performed a song I wrote called, “Left Turn”. On my part I did really well. My performance went well but the sound system was faulty. They didn’t realize that I needed two microphones so that they could hear the guitar so they tried to set two microphones next to each other. This resulted with a high pitched screeching noise that made the whole crowd cringe. So then once they had the microphones spaced out to where they needed I began to sing. And then you could barely hear me because the microphone was so far away. So finally Mrs.Vinton the announcer came out and held the microphone up to my face for the entire song. It was a performance filled with technical difficulties but when she came out onto the stage and held the microphone I just smiled shook my head and kept going. Part of being a performer is being able to adapt to immediate changes that happen and being able to make the most out of it.

 

    I am extremely grateful for these experiences because through each one I became a better performer. With each solo I became more comfortable but also more aware of my voice and I knew how to make it sound the way I wanted it to. Performing in multiple talent shows over the years has helped me come out of my shell and show the community who I really am. I performed my own song in front of a hundred or so people which may not seem like a big deal but it was and then even with all of the technical difficulties I still placed first! I will use these performances in my future career and young adult life everyday. In my future career as a music therapist I will have to be able to teach other people instruments so they can use them as therapy. I will have to be confident enough in my own ability to teach them how to make music. In my young adult life I will have to sing daily. To get through college and major in music I will have vocal lessons and performances every month. Then my performances won’t be purely for my own enjoyment but they will be for a grade. I am so grateful for the performances I have already done and the opportunities I have already had and I look forward to the years to come.