We Will Rock You.... Hopefully!!

So fresh after my amazing 2018 of being back into Musical Theatre, I auditioned for the first show of the Showbiz season We Will Rock You! I luckily scored a role in the vocal backing again which is ace! Finishing Les Mis was actually really hard, I had major after show sadness! The crazy thing about being in shows ( which I had Forgotten) is that you spend this intensive amount of time with the group of people you are working with and then the show finishes and you don't see them every day! It's a really strange feeling!! Whilst I was excited to get back into home life with my awesome Beer's it was really sad to leave the wonder of Les Mis behind.
So, just before Christmas, we went into music calls and initially I felt like I maybe should have sat this one out ( am I emotionally ready for another show). As soon as I heard the amazing score and the electric cast I new I had made the right decision. Doing Vocal backing is quite different than being on stage, you are really an off stage performer who is a back up singer. The work load for this is much easier so schedule wise it is a good way to start the year! We are now a month away from opening night so things are about to get crazy busy!
I know that not only do I get to be a performer again it really is the best Personal Development as a music teacher that I can get.

As if it were a dream!

So it is already 2019 and I am still pinching myself that I ended 2018 with this amazing show. It was probably the most intense 4 months I have ever had. Not going to lie, the workload of being in this show and working my day job was so hard. Tiredness I could cope with but the most difficult thing is keeping your voice healthy as there is no way you can go on vocal rest when you are a teacher. This was a particularly demanding show and I did take my voice for granted, loosing it during the dress rehearsal week was a a nightmare!!!!!! I learnt a pretty hard lesson during this time. I realised that there are lots of things I could have done to look after my voice better and I had not been doing that. If I want to continue to do shows and teach I need to make sure that I am putting in the work with my vocal health.
This has been a huge year of growth for me. Professionally I have been in two of my bucket list shows, still can't believe it. Even at 38 years old my confidence has grown and my belief in myself as a singer and as an actor has been boosted. I can see this growth in my teaching. My expectations of my students is higher as my own performance experiences have changed and developed.
I feel so lucky that I get to do what I love in and out of the classroom and I am excited for the next year of performance adventures!

The French Revolution.....

Not long after Wicked finished, I decided to be a crazy person and audition for the second show of the Showbiz season Les Miserables. After what felt like weeks, I had the call to say that I had made the ensamble! Yay!
Being vocal backing for Wicked was Epic but now being on stage was going to be next level.
Being back in the performance realm for me is amazing BUT this is also invaluable PD. I know that everything I have learnt so far I have fed back directly into my teaching practice! The next couple of months are going to be exhausting but will be worth it!

Defying gravity...............

It seems crazy that it was 7 months ago that I auditioned for the Showbiz production of Wicked. The time flew by and before I knew it it was opening night!! This has by far been the best professional experience I have ever had!
I love being a teacher and I have spent the last 15 years focusing all of my time on mastering my profession to the best I could. Getting to teach music every day is literally the best job in the world. I had forgotten though how amazing it was to be a performer myself. I have always been a singer since grabbing a plastic mic around age 2. Musical theatre was a massive part of my life before teaching and although I don't intend to quit my job and take up performing full time it is amazing to now be doing both. My only concern about getting back into performing was whether I had the energy to teach and perform. Since the start of the year I have been eating healthier and exercising more. I knew I needed to be fitter if I wanted this to work. Once we went into tech week I knew this would be the most challenging time. I was honestly shattered being at the theatre until 11pm and then getting up to teach, but, I just loved it and so it was worth being a little tired!!
As a musician this experience has been challenging and massively rewarding. It has also given me valuable PD as a teacher also. Working with renowned musical director Richard Marrett was a dream. He is an amazing director and seeing him in action was fantastic. I have taken many things from him that I can use in my own teaching. I have made some excellent contacts in the industry and also made some wonderful friends.
Wicked really has been a life changer for me. Being able to work as a singer professionally again is a dream come true. I know this will also only have a positive effect on my teaching also.

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