I wrote last week about how I was in my eighth grade production of Beauty and the Beast, and how I was approached after the second show, by someone who graduated from my old elementary school, Sacred Heart. She was in drama club at Kellenberg Memorial High School, my at-that-time future high school, and she was an exceptional singer, and I mean she was really good. She was also in the chorus, and she told me that I should tryout for it. She gave me the contact information for the director, whose name was Mr. Blanton. She told him about me, and made an appointment for me after school, for April 21st, 2011.
I was now tasked with coming up with my tryout song. I was told no pop songs of the current generation, so I was fine with that, no big love loss there. I prepared four songs, all by The Beatles, and they were "Yesterday", "And I Love Her", "All My Loving", and "Michelle". I also was trying to prepare other songs, by other bands, and a few other show tunes, but none of those ever panned out.
Then came the big day. I was sitting in the parking lot, as their school day ended and they all got out. My tryout was after school, at around 3:30. I walked in through the lobby, through the Freshman hallway, and then up the stairs to the third floor. I signed my attendance sheet, and then I met Mr. Blanton for the first time. I walked through the doors and then got up on the risers in the chorus room, which would become my home for the next four years. I said to myself right there to sing something that didn't give me trouble. I wanted to ace the audition, and those other Beatles songs gave me a bit of trouble sometimes on certain parts. I needed a song fast.
I then decided to do the Gaston Reprise from Beauty and the Beast, the play I just did the month before. I instantly remembered all of the lines, and there was an added level of difficulty, as now I had to do both parts, of Gaston and Lefou, (and it's a good thing I knew all the parts!) It was only the second time I had ever sung a cappella, and I guess it all worked out fine. Then came something that me and him joked about for a long time. I had to do sight-reading, but I had never done that before. That was a like a five minute adventure right there.
After that, we talked for a bit, and he said that he was excited for my audition, and I said that I was a Beatles fan like he was. Then he had me sing a melody of Beatles songs, which ever ones came to his mind that he played on the piano. It was like a rapid fire of about twenty songs, and I knew and sang them all, and after that he said, "Wow", and then he called me a bass, and then said I'll see you in the fall, and I look forward to working with you. At that moment, I was a part of honestly, one of the best choruses around on Long Island.
Over the next four years, I was able to work with one of the most talented people I have ever known. Mr. Blanton taught me so much, in how to sing in a chorus, how to sing solos, how to sing parts of a harmony and melody, and how to play music. He taught me the piano, and all the chords of a guitar and bass. I cannot and will not ever be able to thank him enough for everything that he has done for me. I will cherish my time in chorus forever.
I hope you all enjoyed this post, because I had a lot of fun writing it!
Were you ever in your high schools chorus? Did you have someone as talented, as I did as your director? Did you have fun in it?
Peace and Love,
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "Do something wonderful, so that people may want to imitate it!" - Albert Schweitzer
"A person will sometimes devote all his life to the development of one part of his body - the wishbone." - Robert Frost
"All love is vanquished by a succeeding love." - Ovid