Hamilton. Wait for It by Aaron Burr. Performed by Sam John
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Day 7 of 10 Days of Self-Tapes.
This self-tape was the first musical piece I’ve performed on-camera here at SCAD. I was incredibly nervous because I had oftentimes had the mic or another character mask me while I performed, but I have to tell you, I was shocked at how different my voice is now, compared to three months ago. I had a Vocal Training class this quarter with the most incredible Professor: Professor Morris. She gave me the space to explore my voice and find my natural voice, enabling me to use the supply and support functions of my vocal system effectively. The exercises and explorations in the class made me see my voice and voice in general in a brand new, much clearer light and allowed me to explore my range in a safe and aware environment.
Wait for It is one of my favorite songs, but I always backed away from performing it because I couldn’t get Leslie Odom Jr.’s brilliant original performance out of my head. I thought that unless it mirrored his work, it wasn’t good enough. If this quarter has taught me anything, it’s that people don’t show up to see duplication. They show up to see my take on the character and the text. With that in mind, I tackled this piece which challenged me in every sense of the word. Practicing awareness and natural breathing was so hard because of how I had conditioned my mind to behave, but with a lot of time, work, drills, and lots of breaks, I was able to put together this audition piece.
I am so incredibly proud of it, and I hope you all enjoy it!
Content: Hamilton and Disney
Performance: Sam John