Update!

Wow...so it has been a while since I last posted a blog. That being said, it is time!

Currently, I am nearing the end of my first year as a graduate student at New York University. I have a voice jury (I sing two songs for the voice faculty) and an Acting presentation left, and that's it! Possibly callbacks for the fall show if I get called back, but we haven't heard yet. For me, this school year has been one of growth, definition, and change for me. Like I said in a previous post, I have met some amazing people here, people who have helped me better discover who I am, as well as what I want to be. Although my start at NYU was a bit shaky, I thank God each and every day that He put these people in my life. As a student here, I have had amazing opportunities...access to seeing mulitple Broadway shows, acting and singing training, and more. Coming to NYU, I knew that singing was my strong point, and that acting was not. Through taking two semesters of acting with Evan Mueller has taught me so much. I will always remember him saying that "a good actor gives his or her partner an experience, and has an experience as a result of their partner." It is so true. In my Song Analysis class, I learned how to better connect with a circumstance that you create for any song that you sing. The key is that you have to put yourself into that circumstance, not put on the facade of a character. Bill Wesbrooks, the head of the Vocal Performance department and my Song Analysis professor, has got to be one of the smartest people I have ever met. He is full of guidance and wisdom, and I am so happy that I have another year to learn from him. In general, my voice lessons this year have been really good. My teacher has a classical background, which works well for me because of my classical background from Houghton. This forms just one problem: at NYU, I am a Musical Theatre-Vocal Performance major, not classical. So while he works with me on good technique, it was a bit of a struggle when it came to repertoire. I would search for songs that I wanted to work on, present them to him, and then we would work on them. It all worked out, though, and I am excited to see what the next (and FINAL!) school year brings...I will have a recital and the graduate showcase...yikes! One last thing is the enormous city that is NYC! It is a great place, somewhere where opportunities are endless. Just this past weekend, there was the Times Square bomb scare...interestingly enough, I was in Times Square with friends when the whole thing happened...trying to weave through multiple barricades to get out of there. It was interesting, to say the least. Now, I am apartment-searching for the upcoming school year, and am confident that through searching and God's guidance, I will find a good place to live.

On Saturday (TWO DAYS!), I am heading home and am SO excited to see everyone and spend some time outside of the city. Family and friends are two of the most important things to me, and they are what keep me going.

I promise that I won't take so long to post another blog! 'Til next time...