Anything Goes!

Hello Everyone!!
I wanted to update you guys on a few things that are going on in my life!

1. I've lost 20 Ibs. since coming back to LSU from christmas break!!! 20 Ibs!!! I still can't believe the number i saw when i weighed myself today! Losing 20 Ibs. doesn't sound like much, but i can really tell that i have more energy and it's easier for me to workout now! Thank goodness for Zumba and yoga/pilates!!

2. I'm taking this musical theatre class that one of the voice professors here at LSU teaches. One of the big numbers we're doing for the annual revue "Singo de Mayo" is the high energy song "Anything Goes" from the musical of the same name. This is such an amazing tap number that i absolutely love! I decided to go ahead and audition for the part of Reno (which is the lead) and i got it!! Words can't describe how excited I am about it!!

3. Things are getting a little stressful for me at the moment. I just can't believe how quickly midterms are coming up! I really need to buckle down and practice/study so much more than I have been. I just don't know why i've been getting so lazy!

4. Right now I'm home for Mardi Gras break which is awesome! Unfortunately it won't be much of a break for me since I need to study for my first Geology exam and I need to work on choreographing a number for "Singo de Mayo".

That's really it for now!

XOXO
Rachel

New Semester, New Me!!

Hey Everyone!
My Christmas holidays were so great that i almost didn't want to go back to school! I got to spend 5 weeks at home doing absolutely nothing but spending time with my family and doing whatever i felt like!

Now that i'm back at school, things are really changing for me. I'm loving all of my classes this semester! I especially love my Monday/Wednesday schedule since it's packed with all my music classes. I've really gotten back into an exercise routine and a good diet, so i know i will get a lot healthier this semester after spending Christmas break eating whatever i wanted. I'm also really liking all the songs that my voice teacher picked out for me this semester. I just know that this will be one of the best semesters i will ever spend here at LSU!!

I wanted to mention that i recently made a brand new blog, so i want all of you to go check it out!! http://rachelshappinessproject.blogspot.com/

Will update you guys more when i have a bit more time to type it all out!

XOXO
Rachel

College!!!

Hey Everyone!
Sorry i haven't posted in a while, but my life has been such a whirlwind lately! I started going to school for my undergrad at LSU in August, and i am a vocal performance major for those of you who don't know. I am planning on staying with this major because i have now decided that classical music is what i should be studying. I'm not completely sure if i will go into Opera or Musical Theatre, but right now I'm leaning towards Opera. It's smart for singers to study classical music because it is the foundation for all other types of music. Plus, a Bachelor's of Music degree will make me a well-rounded musician which is what i need to be in order to survive in the music world once i graduate.

The pros of LSU: I love being treated as an adult by the professors! It really shows that they respect us as students. Also, I love being able to do whatever i want. Granted, I tend to study and do homework more than go out but it's still nice to have some freedom. Also, I'm loving the food here! It's not the most healthy, but it is possible to watch what you eat in the dining halls. I'm also taking advantage of the gym here, which is a wonderful facility to use if you want to get healthy. There are also many pros about the music school. The opera program here is in the Top 10 in the nation! Plus all the professors are amazing at what they do. I love my voice teacher because she knows exactly what to say and do to make me the best singer possible. I really should stop here because i feel like I'm rambling LOL!

At this point, I can't really think of any cons. Yes, the classes are challenging, but that's what i need to get a good solid education. I'll try to update you guys some more over Thanksgiving break!

XOXO
Rachel

Rachel, How Has Your Summer Been?

Hey Everyone!!
I can;t believe i haven't posted on this blog (or my beauty blog) in sooooooo long!! I could've sworn i updated this back in June, but i guess not. So much has happened since i last posted, so i'll just get right into it!

First, i wanted to talk about my high school graduations (i went to 2 high schools). I had a lot of fun at both my academic school and NOCCA's graduations. I didn't cry or tear up at either which really surprised me. I actually got the musical theatre award at my NOCCA graduation, which i didn't expect at all! Overall, high school was a wonderful experience for me and i wouldn't go back and change any of it.

Second, I wanted to update you guys about the production of Annie i auditioned for. I got in the ensemble, but also had a couple small roles within the show. I wasn't all that disappointed that i didn't get a lead because the people who got those roles were older and great for their roles. It was a fun experience! I still got compliments on my voice even though i didn't really have any singing solos, which was cool.

Third, I got to go to Destin, Florida with some friends from high school. It was such a fun and much needed trip for me since i hadn't gone on a trip just for fun. all the trips i took recently were for college auditions. i had a lot of going to the beach pretty much everyday and bonding with some of my very best friends!

Lastly, i wanted to talk about college. As i said before, i am attending LSU for vocal performance and i couldn't be more excited to start developing my technique further and becoming a well rounded musician. I'm also excited about getting involved since i don't think i did that enough in high school. I've already started getting involved be volunteering for a community service project where i will be going with a group of LSU students and faculty to help renovate schools in the Baton Rouge area. I will definitely try my best to update this blog as much as possible on my progress at LSU and in the voice program.

XOXO
Rachel

I Know Where I'm Going To College!!

Hey Everyone!!
As you know, I auditioned for many musical theatre & vocal performance college programs and had to wait a very long time to hear from them all. And the verdict is...I got rejected from all of the musical theatre programs. BUT, i got accepted into one vocal performance program and one BA music program with some pretty good scholarship money to go with it!! So, i didn't have many colleges to choose from, but i still had a choice to make. Yesterday, i finally made my decision and...I'M GOING TO LSU FOR VOCAL PERFORMANCE!!!! I'm super excited about taking my voice to the next level and getting the training i need to become the musician i want to be!! I'm still waiting on scholarship money from the music program, but even if i don't get any money my family can still afford the tuition and everything so i won't have to go into any debt, which is great!

Alright so onto the next subject. My time in high school is almost finished. Right now i'm working on the Musical Theatre senior showcase that the NOCCA MT seniors put on at the end of every year. I couldn't be more excited! And just today i auditioned for a production of Annie at the community theatre i always do the summer musicals at. I'm pretty sure i'm being considered for Grace since the director asked me to sing one of her songs, which is great! We'll just have to see whether i get the part or not.

XOXO
Rachel

P.S. The Secret Garden at NOCCA came out wonderfully and i'm so sad it's over!! I absolutely loved playing Lily!!

Update: Chicago & College Auditions

Hey everyone!! Soooooo happy to start getting back into the swing of things after pretty much all of my college auditions!! First update: My CCM (Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music) audition went very well, but i unfortunately got rejected.

Now onto the bulk of my auditions, which took place at the Chicago Unifieds! Basically unified auditions are these big events where a whole bunch of colleges come to one city for about 3 days to hold auditions for their musical theatre, theatre, and theatre design programs (as well as some other theatre related programs). NOCCA takes their musical theatre, drama, and theatre design seniors to the Chicago unifieds every year, and this year was no different. We left New Orleans on Feb. 6 and came back on the 10th, so i unfortunately had to miss almost a week of school, but it was totally worth it since i got to audition for a lot of colleges at once.

So on my first day of auditionsm which was Monday, i auditioned for Penn State and the Hartt School's musical theatre programs. My Penn State audition was not a good experience for me. The faculty was very rude to me as well as other auditionees, so i definitely thought they were going to reject me right then and there. But they gave me a dance callback, which was cool, so i guess they liked me after all. They did compliment me on my voice, which was also nice. Only about 20 people out of everyone who auditioned that day got a callback, so i felt very lucky! My Hartt audition was awesome! the dance audition went well and the judges asked to come to campus and take a voice lesson after my singing and monologue audition, which i definitely take as a good sign! That night, the whole group from NOCCA saw a show at The Second City, which is a very famous comedic acting company that originated in Chicago. The show was absolutely hilarious and i would definitely want to do something like that once i graduate from college!

On Tuesday, i only had one school to audition for, which was Boston Conservatory. The dance audition was a lot of fun and went well. My singing and monologue audition went very well and i think the faculty liked me. There's not much to say about that audition. One of the faculty members complimented me on my soprano range, which was nice. That night, we went as a group to see Steppenwolf's production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff?" which was absolutely amazing!!

On Wednesday (the last day of audition, yay!) i auditioned for Oklahoma University and Ball State's programs. My OU audition was ok, but it's my Ball State audition that i really want to talk about. The faculty was super nice and funny in my singing and monologue audition, and my interview went really well with them! My dance audition with them was super fun and went very well. I really like their program and my audition made me like them even more!! The dance teacher complimented the NOCCA kids on our dance technique and i could tell the faculty liked my voice.

Overall, Chicago was an amazing experience for me! I got to bond with the NOCCA students and audition for some great schools!

On Friday, i left for Tallahassee to audition for FSU's musical theatre program. Saturday morning was the dance audition, which wasn't as hard as some people made it out to be, but was still rigorous. It went very well. Then came the singing/monologue audition. I thought they liked my voice and it was overall a positive experience. That night my mom and i saw their production of "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". It was soooo funny and well done! i was very impressed!

So, this is a very long post and i'm tired of typing. Will update you guys as soon as i start hearing from colleges on whether i get in or not.

XOXO
Rachel

The Secret Garden Audition & Outcome

Hey Everyone!!
I keep forgetting about posting on this blog regularly, and for that i'm sorry. BUT, a couple weeks ago were the auditions for NOCCA's spring musical "The Secret Garden", which is a musical based off the children's book. For this audition, they had us prepare a side (which is basically a sample of music or script) of music from the show for the particular character we were going for. I decided that i wanted the role of Lily ( you can go on wikipedia to read a synopsis to get an idea of the characters since it is different from the book and movie), so i prepared her side. The director seemed to like my audition. He asked me to sing Lily's side twice because he wanted me to sing it differently the second time. Overall, it was a great audition. I definitely think i'm getting better and better at auditioning, though i don't think it's possible to master the art of auditioning.

Then came the callback list. It's understood at NOCCA that if you don't get a callback there's no chance of you getting a lead, so this was a big deal. I needed a callback because i wanted to prove to the director that i could play this role. plus, it's my senior year and this will be my last show at NOCCA. I GOT A CALLBACK FOR LILY!!! i was so relieved i thought that i was gonna pass out right then and there LOL. The callback consisted of every girl considered for Lily singing her side twice. After the first time, the director gave me feedback and just wanted me to sing it again. He told me and all the other girls who got a callback for Lily to stick around. I thought that we would do a reading, although Lily doesn't have many lines in the show. The director then stepped out of the audition room after a few minutes and told that we were done. DONE?!? we didn't even get to read!! i felt kinda nervous then. that of course meant that they had made their decision and i thought in my mind that i had not gotten the role. I was pretty confident of myself but i still doubt my abilities a lot.

The day that the cast list was supposed to come out was here. These are always weird days at not only NOCCA but any school because everyone is nervous about the outcome and is around their competition the whole day. luckily, my only real competition was a really sweet girl that i got to know through doing "Music Man" this past summer. what was cool about this day was that a couple cast members from the touring cast of "Spamalot" had come to teach us a masterclass. it definitely got my mind off the cast for a little while. Once the day was over, everyone headed to the place where the cast list was to be posted, and there it was. but before i could read it someone told me "now, don't get upset, Rachel". All i was thinking in my mind was that i didn't get it. but, i read the list and...I GOT LILY!!! i got double casted with my only competition for the role and i couldn't be happier!! i'm just excited that i got the role at all, and honestly there are a lot of pros to being double cast. there are also cons, but i choose to ignore them.

alright, this blog post is long enough. i hope everyone had a great christmas and will have a happy new year!!

XOXO
Rachel