Woah, it’s already 2018. This past year has felt like a whirlwind. Not the literal kind with dust and wind, but a crazy mixed up storm of deadlines, concerts, music, schedules, and lessons. I know that I have not written about my project in a while. So much has happened in my project that I felt I needed some distance to properly sort out all of my thoughts. I finished out last semester with three concerts, two recitals I accompanied, and completely memorizing my recital repertoire for the spring, oh yeah, and finals and papers and tests and things of that nature. However, I made it. Fall 2017. Done.So I am sure you are wondering, “Will, what happened with all the teachers and high school students taking free lessons this semester?” Good thing you asked. Let me tell you! As you might know, the CSUN students in Vocal Pedagogy were divided between two schools, Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences (VAAS) in Northridge, and Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Clarita. As the lessons came to a close, I wanted a way for the students to show what they had been working on the past semester with their new voice teachers. I organized recitals both of the groups. Although the performance was not mandatory for the students, almost every student participated in the event. I worked with every single student individually to prepare them for the concert. Despite the minor corrections I made, the students were well prepared and had their songs well learned, even though they were singing in a foreign language and a musical style that they were unfamiliar with.At both Lighthouse and VAAS, parents and family were gathered for the performance. I introduced the project, thanked the teachers, and began the performance. I watched as each student confidently sang their piece. I was impressed by their talent and willingness to put themselves out in front of their peers and family. Being the accompanist for the performance, I loved performing with them, making music with these young singers. It was so gratifying to watch the culmination of the lessons and to know that my vision of my project had actually happened.CSUN Teachers and Lighthouse Christian Academy Students, Art Song RecitalI also had the chance to do exit interviews with the students from VAAS (Lighthouse exit interviews to come later). I had planned short interviews with all the students individually to hear what they thought about the project, what they liked, what could be improved, and such. I was blown away by the stories from all the high school students. Truly a wonderful group of students. Each one clearly and concisely outlined why the arts are important to them and how the lessons had effected them. I have always believed in my project, but it was impactful to hear from each of the students. One student expressed her desire to pursue musical theatre, but described the financial difficulty and how expensive vocal lessons are for her family. She loved the project and was so thankful for the lessons. She could not say enough about her teacher and told me that she wished the project was longer. I remember sitting there and realizing that this moment made all the hard work worth it. The struggles with scheduling, timing, locations, and balancing all the parts of my project were all shown to be worth it through this interview. Although there are definite changes I would make if I had to do this over again, I am proud of the work I have done and hope to continue making the arts a reality for all.I have learned so much through this experience. Here are the most important lessons I have learned by working on this project.1. Don’t underestimate the desire for the arts.Doing this project has shown me the intense desire for the arts. I had relied on the fact that high school students would want lessons. However, I did not expect the amount of desire for the lessons that was there. There was many more students who wanted lessons than I had teachers. Although I wish there had been a teacher for every student who wanted lessons, it was a joy to be reminded that the arts are wanted in the community.2. Build schedules with room for flexibility.This lesson has been a practical lesson. When building a schedule, I did not account for how crazy the schedule would get. Between the high school student’s schedules and the CSUN student’s schedules, which include choir, opera, gigs, performances, jobs, and classes, scheduling 20 teachers and 30 students for voice lessons was tricky to say the least. I have learned to plan for all the unplanned obstacles and events. Perfect, unblemished schedules are for a perfect world, and this is no perfect world.3. Remember why you do what you doSo many times in my life I am discouraged. I am discouraged by people, by myself, by life itself. However, this semester with my project, has reminded me to remember the reason why I chose the arts in the first place. It’s easy to lose sight of why the arts are important. Throughout music school, you get caught up in the daily grind of repertoire and rehearsals, you forget the excitement of music and the arts. You forget how you felt the first time you discovered music or sang. You forgot how music made you feel. This semester made me remember why I am putting myself through all the craziness of music school. The arts are important to me. I believe that the arts are important for the world. They are the purveyors of culture and remain a means of expressions unique from the other mediums in this world. Watching those 30 students take voice lesson for the first time was an amazing reminder of how powerful the arts can be.4. Attempt somethingWhile this is something that I learned for the first time this semester, it is a powerful lesson ever present with this project. My college experiences, internships, jobs, and scholarships have all been started by putting in an application, writing an email, or asking to participate. I am confronted by my own fear of failing. I have learned through these past 7 semesters at CSUN to silence the inner doubt and attempt something. Whether it may be “important” or not, I have to make an attempt to make anything happen.The Future (Semester)My plan for the next few months is to sort through all the materials, surveys, and information I collected throughout this last semester. I am presenting this project in May for the CSUN President, Dr. Dianne Harrison. I have to prepare all the material for that presentation. I am planning and developing the project to be continued in the future. I am unsure of the future of the project, but I would love the ongoing existence of voice lessons and community outreach of CSUN students in the future, even after I graduate. I am proud to attempt something. I must continue to push myself and strive for more.Although life never stops and the work never ends, I am pleased with my semester and how the project turned out. I am excited for the future and optimistic for the future of arts education.
