This is a late post, but really by the time I got home I was pretty much out like a light. Woke up surprised to find the lights still on in the bedroom. Anyway, Friday evening was really fun. We had our class show for our musical improv class. Those seven weeks of classes were really entertaining. Beyond the rhyming skills, the class taught me to trust myself and to be in the moment. There have been several moments in practice where I was somewhat hesitant to jump in for various reasons. I had to trust my instincts and just get in there. All in all it was an enjoyable class. Thing is, even though it was enjoyable, the thought of the class show was really intimidating. Funny. No one else in the class seemed to be too apprehensive about it. Everyone seemed to be pretty relaxed about it. There was a point where I was even unsure about whether I wanted to be in the show at all. Well thank God for peer pressure, no?

There were four of us plus the teacher and the musician to cover the show. We started with a game of make a song where we took turns making verses of a song, which was spiked with a chorus here and there. The suggestion we got from the audience was “water skiing” so our song focused on that. It went well. After that, we went up in two pairs. In each pair one person would open with a song about the given suggestion, after which the other person would come in and after a little bit of scene work the other person would end the scene with a closing song. The suggestion my pairing got was “dog show.” My partner opened with a song about how he was the best and he and his dog won the blue ribbon. After his song I came in, and in order to create a contrast I walked in a bit forlorn with only a participant ribbon. I figured it was a foil for his character. I told him I was trying to follow him and be like him and all I still lost. Eventually I got to a point where I said that one day I was going to beat him and rise above. That became my song. I had trouble finding the melody, and I’m sure I was leading our talented piano player off, but I got the damn song out. I didn’t feel there was resolution though, so far a line or two from my partner, I grabbed his blue ribbon and ran off. Perfect call! Done deal.

After this we played a game of Greatest Hits. Our teacher pretended to be an infomercial host with a compilation record to sell. The audience gave the suggestion of “telephone” so it was a compilation record with songs inspired by “telephone.” I forgot what the title of the first song was. Probably something like “Ring Ring, Won’t You Answer.” She said that it was a song in the genre of a power ballad. I took it as a cue that the song was mine so I got on stage and started keying in to the music. Not sure where I was going to go so I blurted out a musical “HEY!” From there my mouth went on autopilot. I don’t recall all of the lyrics that came out of my mouth, but there was something that I started singing about hearing ringing in my head. From there came my inspired line: “Oh all the ringing in my head/how I wish the ring was on your hand instead!” WHOOOOOO. Proud of that shit. The audience seemed to love it. From the stage I couldn’t see much with all of the bright lights, but I could feel the positivity. Despite what I was fearing, the audience really wanted us to succeed. As my classmates went up, any time the song needed backup singers the rest of us were keen to jump in and sing along. I cheered uproariously for each one. Aaaaand just like that, that was the show. Brilliant!

I swear, I need to stop worrying about these class showcases. The people that go to these things are friends and family of the cast so I probably won’t find a more supportive group. I need to use this time and own all of the awesome skills we picked up.

We did a really fascinating exercise in today’s improv class. A few days in advance we were given a small song to analyze. We were to look at the lyrics and treat it as a monologue. What is the motivation for the person singing the song? Why are they singing? Who are they singing to? After that, we were to learn the song and singing it as that character. The song we were given was There’s a Small Hotel. Go listen to Frank Sinatra covering the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKNREbJr1Bw

As I read the song, it came out as being very melancholy for me. I imagined that there was this guy who had been engaged for a while only to have it blow up in his face just a few days before the wedding date. The fiancee had just left leaving the guy singing to the door that was just slammed, his head still swimming with plans that will never come to be. With all of that in mind, that’s how I practiced the song. Over the past few days I’ve been singing it to myself at home, humming it in the kitchen, singing to myself in the shower, etc. The melody is slightly odd, but it’s manageable.

In class, we first read through the lyrics as a monologue. We were to read it as our character, but just without the melody. I did my bit, and I played it as that sad guy. I think the emotions came through well enough. I think the teacher felt it. Overall, it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t come across as nervous. Fast forward to the next run through where we had to sing it, and man, I was nervous! The only difference between the two is that I was singing it during this second pass. Still, as the melody was coming out, I could sense the nervousness in the sound coming out. There was a bit of quivering in there that I did my best to get under control. I did get the tune out and it sounded great. All the same, I just wish that I did it with more confidence. Incidentally, the nerves did help build on the kind of character that I was going for. Still, what if I was aiming for having a happy character?

I think I need to get over my nervousness when it comes to singing in public in front of others. I’m not that bad of a singer, really. I’m sure that kind of thing will fade over time with more practice, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. I need to work hard and accept that singing in front of other people will not make it the end of the world.