The Wizard and I...

So after many years of wanting to get back into performing, I finally bit the bullet last year and auditioned for Wicked by Showbiz. I have always loved this show and as soon as I saw the press release I knew it was my time! I am constantly inspired by my own students and I am always telling them to go for things and do what they love. So, I finally took my own advice! The audition process was extremely nerve wracking. I was number 72 of 160....... i  had to do a vocal and dance audition. I was really pleased with my vocal audition but bombed the dance ha ha! I clearly have work to do on my stage dancing and fitness. After a painful three week wait I finally got the wonderful letter offering me a part in the company as a backing vocalist. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement!
We had a few rehearsals before 2017 closed and I did really love them but I also felt really overwhelmed and quite nervous! It was so wonderful though to be working with a professional company, the sound from the music rehearsals was glorious! This year the rehearsal schedule is really amping up. I know I am going to find it hard at times working full time and performing but I know I am going to love it!

A Lion, three teachers and some awesomeness!!!

The festival of the arts 2017 began with 8 remaining weeks of the school year. Usually we would be winding down but we certainly were not this time! Our wonderful year 7 and 8 students end their year celebrating the Arts. Each student chooses a project based on their interests. This year we offered, photography, mosaic, guitars, sculpture, carving, weaving, movie making and musical theatre. Groups are usually around 10-15 students.Surprisingly we had over 40 students sign up for our musical project! Because of the numbers, we had three teachers to take the three disciplines, acting, singing and dancing. This was the first time we had attempted to do a "mini" musical and having three teachers and a lot of eager kids we knew it was going to be a good time!
We began with voice and dance warm-ups, drama games and generally getting everyone amped up! We settled on doing a shortened version of The lion King as we only had a maximum of 30 minutes performance time.
The students were so enthusiastic we had a fantastic selection of leads to cast and we also cast understudies ( We actually had to use our Pumba understudy 10 minutes before our show started).
Some of our students had never performed before and so were both excited but extremely nervous! Students helped design set, costumes and makeup. During this process students blogged their adventures and did homework on the characteristics of their characters. I was so impressed with the work the students did outside of rehearsal time, they were so onto it and you could read their enthusiasm! After weeks of prep we did our dress rehearsal to our primary school next door. They loved it and wished we had done the full show! :) Our final show was to a full auditorium, you could feel the nerves but equally the excitement too! We were so proud of their final performances, you would never have guessed we had some first time performers! Hopefully they stay enthused and carry on with the Performing Arts! It certainly was a huge learning curve, self esteem builder and an amazing experience for all of them!

2017......... What a year!!

So, I didn't make a single blog post in 2017!! That's not to say that I spent the year with nothing to write. It is in fact the exact opposite! The last school year I can only describe as a whirlwind!! It had many, many highs and also some really challenging times! During the summer break of 2016/17 the music department had a huge overhaul. This included huge renovations but also we became "Whare toi Whakaari" the home of the arts. Having my drama comrade with me sharing spaces was both new and challenging but also totally awesome! Making spaces work that haven't been used to their potential for tens of years was exciting to see. What was immediately surprising was seeing how the students reacted to the new interior! New carpets and a bright paint job makes a difference. I could see how the attitudes to the spaces changed. The delight of new cushions ( even though a colleague made a comment that they wouldn't be there by the end of the year!!) They were there!!!!!! In good condition having been carried around as comforters ( yes it is a high school) sat on for floor jam sessions and placed around our new window seats! Who would have thought those things made such a difference???? They do! Having a creative space to work that looks inviting and homely really has brought out the best of all of us this year!!
I will mention a few highlights or my 2017 summary will be 50 pages long. One of my biggest proudest moments this year was my Musical Theatre showcase. This was the first time we have done an NCEA only music performance night. I had studied this genre a lot with my year 13's this year and they loved it! It was their idea to do a full "Musicals" showcase and it was magical! I was bursting with pride seeing the display of professionalism and talent! We buzzed for days after and it is definitely something I want to do each year! We also had another fantastic year at the Shakespeare festival and our international evening was wonderful again!

So now we wait for the start of the 2018 year! Its going to be another biggie with school rebuild in full swing! It is going to be a hard year for teachers and students changing classes and going into new buildings! Despite the stress I know that the rewards will be huge! #hornbypride