We heard almost 30 students, all of whom are DESPERATE to be part of this department. DESPERATE to do what we do every day. DESPERATE to be given the chance to work toward their dreams and goals.
The heartbreaking part of this is that we cannot take all of those students into our programs. We have a limited number of resources and if we are to continue to serve all of our students in the way that they deserve, we cannot accept more than would allow us to do that.
So, my reaction to these auditions was not to pat myself on the back for being part of a sought-after program. Rather, it inspired a huge dose of humility and re-evaluation to make sure I am serving all of you in the way that you deserve.
Of course, we are not a perfect program. Just as you are all flawed and developing performers, we are all flawed and developing teachers. We do our best but we fail sometimes. Or often.
But we are committed to the journey. And I hope you are too.
I tend not to get taken in by slogans and advertisements but the ad I keep seeing for the University of Utah is "Imagine U.” This is actually quite a profound, university-wide statement on who we want to be. Artists must imagine. We have to imagine possibility. We have to imagine ourselves in places we never thought we’d be. We have to imagine direction and momentum. We have to imagine achievements that we had absolutely no business imagining for ourselves.
After I post this, I get to call a high school senior to tell her that she has been accepted into the MTP and, as such, will be the first member of her family ever to attend college.
Our work is important. It is an honor to do it every day. If you don’t believe that, please do something else. If you do believe that, please insist that I push you as hard as you deserve.
Imagine U. I have.
Now go practice.
I Think I'm starting to notice that I've grown more this semester than my other 3 combined! I have had some tremendous breakthroughs, mainly to do with using resonators and grounding breath. When I used to belt, I used to really try to dig deep into the stomach and have it come from there. However, I have recently learned that it is more beneficial to keep that regular and change the placement of the sound to really grab onto the back of the throat resonators and have the sound ping off of the soft palat. This has made singing easier, and has made high notes a million times easier to hit. Also when I was working with Brian's Brother he told me that when doing a difficult jump that the breath before it should still be relaxed and eased rather than having it come upwards and in. I found that when a released the diaphragm out and relaxed the sound came out more fluently and unpressed. I'm very pleased with the discoveries I have made this semester!
ReplyDelete-Cameron Fleck
I love this idea so much. I've actually been reflecting a lot more than usual this past couple weeks on growth and the question "do I have what it takes?" crosses my find frequently, so this post is fortuitous. I had a wonderful conversation with the incredible Sarah Shippobotham just today about the work and she said, "it's really more like running a marathon and a sprint." I've recently looked back and seen how far I've come in the past 3 years and it makes me so hopeful for the future, but I also look forward to where I want to be and sometimes feel like I've completed the .2 and still have 26 miles left to go. That being said, this is no reason for discouragement. This I think is also a reason for hope! I actually have completed the .2!!! and now I get to see where the other 26 will take me and I get to surprise myself by potentially finishing the 'race' even though now it seems an insurmountable task.
ReplyDeleteI live by the mantra "those who combine passion, talent, determination, and work will succeed." While I still 100% agree with this attitude, I think it's time I add self- confidence to the list. I recently attended the Rocky Mountain Summer Stock Auditions at UVU and completely surprised myself with the number of callbacks I obtained. I was shocked that 5 different theatre companies wanted a chance to see me again. I have always considered myself averagely talented, but made up for the mediocrity with my intense passion and work ethic. I need to drop the idea of being mediocre and continue to polish the talent that I have been given. This does not mean diminishing my work, but changing my attitude whilst working. I belted in front of 6 theatre companies, something that I always thought was out of reach, and guess what... they liked it. I need to stop saying, "I can't, and start truly believing that I can.
ReplyDeleteIn voice class with Sarah, we have been working on exercises that focus on lower rib expansion rather than just low stomach breathing. When I practiced singing after class, I tried to apply these exercises. I noticed that my breath feels much more free and requires substantially less effort. Since doing these exercises, I have really focused on expanding my ribs when I breath in my everyday life, as well as when I am singing. Hopefully, by strengthening my breath control and making it more automatic, I will improve my support and control while singing.
ReplyDeleteJoshua Wood
This week I have been focusing on connecting my lower/wider breathing to my voice. I found ease in my throat when I truly apply this and the ability to complete phrases with much more ease. I took a concept that I learned in my Voice and Speech class and applied it to my breathing. It's the idea of thinking about widening your ribs and lowering diaphragm when you need to breathe instead of actually thinking about breathing. Each time I need to take a breathe in a piece I think open or widen and it helps me relax my breathing while still being in control. I also found that I was able to take in a lot of air in a shorter period of time by thinking this way. This just reminds me of how seamlessly all of our classes fit together. They complement each other extremely well. I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to get the most out of my classes is to apply things that I learn from each class to the other classes I am taking. Then I will be working on each part of my craft at all times, this will help it grow and blossom. The key is to not be lazy.
ReplyDeleteThis was refreshing. I am humbled day in and day out to be in one of the top ten Modern Dance programs in the nation. Before my last years of the program, there was no question as to why I was attending The University of Utah. I always knew it was the school I was going to attend. My dad being an MBA medical alumn, has always pushed me to attend the U and it's great programs. I knew nothing different. It wasn't until about last year when we were discussing with transfer students why they came to Utah and they couldn't get over how great the programs were at the U. This is when I started to realize that I am in a great school with great professors that truly care about my success and have a passion leading me in the right direction by their humble mentoring. Being such of artistic value, we need to remember our gift and artistry as we continue to follow the great examples that we have right in front of us. To continue to work hard and remember that we can be so much more if we can run with the training and concepts that are given day in and day out.
ReplyDelete-Kellie Rae Williams
DeleteI'm always immensely grateful to be in a program like the University of Utah were I can be in the Actor Training Program and still have access to resources that the MTP has, like private voice and musicals. At other schools, they talked a lot about training so rigorous you would only barely have time for your generals, much less to take classes that help you improve in other fields. I think that is the greatest resource we have at the U: willingness to branch out. We take a playwriting class, and we take a singing class, and it isn't about being in the studio 24/7. It allows someone like me to self motivate and to pursue things of interest that will help me be a more educated, higher value actor.
ReplyDeleteafter reading this post I realized how important it is to work my hardest at school. Seeing how hard our teachers work to give us students the opportunity to do what we love is inspiring. It is important to work hand in hand, side by side with teachers to achieve the greatest outcome. I love that we are all growing and learning together. I also learned this weekend how effective vocal rest is for healing my voice. For four days I didn’t sing much at all and when i came back to practice on the fifth day, my voice was exceptionally healthier. I had mostly gotten over a cold and the last few days of vocal rest got my voice right back on track.
ReplyDeleteRecently I came across a Timehop that said I had been accepted into the MTP program here at the U. It made me so happy to see that and then see how close I am to finishing that same program. It might have taken me a bit longer to complete my degree than I originally planned. Transferring, then having a baby tend to slow things down. But it was the very best thing I could have done for myself. We are SO lucky to be where we are. We are getting a great education that is constant providing us opportunity to grow not only as performers but people. I've just recently started to take things a little more seriously, as I should have been doing my whole time here, and the amount of knowledge I have gained is extrodinary. I really do wish I would have payed more attention in the past. That is my advice to any underclassmen. Pay attention! Get all you can while you can!
ReplyDeleteAs hard as the transition was on myself from transferring schools, I have really grown grateful for the U's program. Coming from a conservatory program to a University program was honestly difficult, however the perks to being in the U's MTP are unlimited. Especially since it's a BFA program and with the university style, you can branch out and take many different classes, be apart of numerous shows... We just have a lot of opportunities and they're available to practically everyone. What I love about the program is I have the ability to train full time, work, be in a show, etc. I think it really helps round us while we're in our training. I am very happy to be apart of the U's MTP and I love being able to take classes from the ATP.
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