I began testing the waters of the vocal arts in grade four. It was my first public speaking event and I was to create a speech about a famous person of my choosing. Stuttering and finger-fidgeting were inevitable at the tender age of nine, but I was relieved to have finished it. As I climbed up the ladder of grades, I gained more experience and shed off my anxiety bit by bit. It wasn't until grade nine when public speaking became something competitive. My school decided to modify the event and make new speech categories. I took a leap and opted for a dramatic monologue, which was worth the risk as I won first place in my division (grade 9/10 dramatic monologue). This victory lit in me a strong spark of interest in vocal development.
Education Outside of School:
Simultaneously, since fifth grade, I took speech arts classes outside of school at BASA - Bolten Academy of Spoken Arts. My dedicated, patient, and kind teacher, Ms. Burgess, helped me break the barriers I had concerning public speaking. She taught me how to stretch, push, and mold my voice into something confident and attention-grabbing. Ms. Burgess later opened up her own little place called Viva Voce and I continued to learn from her. She held workshops and recitals a few times each year, from which I practiced speaking in front of her other students. In March of 2014, Ms. Burgess allowed me to try a Royal Conservatory of Music examination. In the months leading up to it, she helped me prepare a few dramatic pieces and taught me the art of improvising stories. I had never tried doing this before, but with practice, my skills in spontaneous spoken creativity blossomed.
Wider Audience:
My belief in myself grew and in the same month, I attended the CDMF Festival of Performing Arts. The presence of an judge who was a well-known vocal artist made my hands sweat and arms tremble, but I overcame my fears and went through with my performance.
I continue to hone my vocal arts abilities and believe that without all this learning I wetn through, I wouldn't be as open or joyful as I am now.