By the time I post this, I’ll be halfway through the summer semester (although I genuinely didn’t realize the course I’m currently taking is only half as long). Anyways, I wanted to write a semester recap because I achieved a new milestone: performing solo for the first time. I didn’t think I would be performing again so soon, especially since I don’t see myself becoming a performer in the future. I guess it’s good to have the experience, hiccups and all. If you want to hear about the time I was asked to spit some bars, read at your own will.
The power of “yes”
Once again, I had been asked to perform a song that initially started out as an assignment. For this assignment, not only did I make myself sing, I also challenged myself to rap for the first time. When my professor asked if I wanted to perform in the festival, I was apprehensive. It felt like it was too soon after the first time. Not to mention that the lyrics I wrote for my assignment were… pretty violent. And yet, there was still a part of me that wanted to say “yes.” I felt like I was turning down a valuable learning experience. It’s not like my professor was forcing me to do it. Plus, she wanted to teach me how to use a MIDI controller, something I’ve always wanted to try. In the end, I sucked it up and performed anyways.
Room for improvement?
Rehearsal was a lot more different this time around. Instead of my professor changing my performance around, I basically did a bunch of run-throughs with the song while my professor took note of which parts seemed to be giving me the most trouble. I swear my voice almost gave out with how many times I sang it. I even attended dress rehearsal with the other performers, some of them being my other classmates. They were all very supportive.
It was so nerve-wracking being up there solo rather than in a group. Something I remarked about mine and the other performances that night is that none of us did as good as our best run-through. I chalked it up to nerves. When it came time for me to perform, two things went wrong. First, I got nervous and flubbed the first line. That one wasn’t too bad, I even thought I loosened up a bit after screwing up. The bigger issue that occurred was that my laptop almost died during the performance. My professor even warned me that I should have it plugged in or at full battery (which I thought it was because I charged it hours ago). Oh well, my classmates reassured me that it blended really well with the music!
Now I’m going solo, solo…
Call me weird, but there’s a part of me that’s glad that my performance wasn’t perfect. It gives me something to strive for so I can be prepared next time. On top of perfect execution, maybe I can also work on stage presence? I mean, my professor was trying to get me to move around a bit more, but I guess I froze up anyways. You can see for yourself in the video below. Please excuse my awkwardness (and my terrible posture).
Megan Tran performing “Roseanne.”