This is a number from my new favorite show:
I'm obsessed. Did I mention I myself did show choir in school? Oh yea, baby. For one year only, I was a proud member of Bonita Vista High School's Sound Unlimited. Why one year only, you ask? My mother remembers it this way: my grades slipped, and I was forced to pick between the school paper and show choir. My memory: I was cruelly forced to give up the thing I loved the most because of a couple of "C" papers, and I still weep at the sound of 4-part harmony.
Theatre kids, drama kids, band kids... they are often the most humiliated and ridiculed of high school genres. Trust me, I did pretty much all of the humiliating genres in school. I majored in them, and logged endless extracurricular hours. But even though I suffered at the time for being part of "those groups"... I wouldn't have done it any other way. In college, it motivated me to audition for Naked Voices, an acapella group that changed my life. (Check out their myspace page to listen to some current recordings, they're going stronger than ever.) I won a soloist award with them at regionals at USC; and gained endless self confidence about my ability to command a room. Without them, I turned beet red and mumbled. With them, I was Whitney Houston. Pre-crack. We were fearless. We got the crowd on their feet, and their is no drug stronger, man. It was magic.
These days, I take whatever opportunity I can get to sing. We go to kareoke pretty often, and I've auditioned twice now for Star Spangled Banner honors at local sports games. I did backup vocals for some local guy's album. That pretty much wraps up my singing experience for the last five years. It's pathetic!
I hear music in me, all the time. If I had the cash to record an album, I would. I've attempted to learn to play both the left-handed guitar and the keyboard, without success. It sucks having the music beating in you, and no outlet. Anyone want to form a Glee Club?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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Daph.... I so wish I could sing. I wanted so badly to be part of Sound or Machine and quite honestly just couldn't sing OR dance with any kind of accuracy. I did attend pretty much every show and through the course of befriending Nikki and Becca and you, I got to know just how wonderful people in that 'genre' can be. People may say it's dorky or silly or whatever, but artists of any kind are generally the most loving, giving people I've ever known. They aren't afraid to hug or love or show affection and they give so much of themselves through their art (music, painting, whatever).
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had to give that up in high school because you were (and are) amazing. I am glad I had you with me in newspaper though because without you my experience would have been far less exciting. Even so, if you want to record that album, DO IT! I'll buy the second copy (since I figure your mom will buy the first). :o)
Oh and PS - if you want to aim for classic Whitney, I think that would just be AMAZING! :o)
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