Personal Reflection and Goal Setting

As a musical theatre student, I believe I could set a good example for others as I, most of the time (if not always), pay attention to the task at hand, listening attentively to the instructions set by the teachers and adults and showing respect for my peers and teachers by not talking when it is someone else’s turn, and following the instructions told. Furthermore, I try to do my best regardless of what I do because I think this is one of the qualities that really defines a good student, not only in musical theatre, but overall.

Some of the goals I set and strive to achieve throughout this course would be to gain more confidence in my singing skills by simply improving them with lots and lots of practice! I think this course really helps me to achieve this goal because I learn a lot every rehearsal by listening to the teachers and trying the skills myself. Another goal I have for myself is to grow socially and become more outgoing and since the performances in the course requires the maximum amount of energy, it’s a really good practice to help me get to my goal. I would try to attain this goal by participating more and giving the performances (whether it’s the dancing, the singing, or the acting) my best. Lastly, I aim to boost my creativity by the end of the course. I would like to think that I am already creative as I am right now, but the course could still help improve it for it is necessary for us musical theatre students to get our thinking-outside-the-box and imagination on when it comes to getting into character and seeing the big picture that is the entire performance. We don’t have a lot of experience in performing Happy Days since we are still young and we also don’t live in the 50’s! So, I think imagination and creativity is the key to get the audience not only to see, but to feel like it’s the actual 50’s. I intend to reach this goal by imagining what it’s like to be a teenager living in the 1950’s (through the help of the atmosphere of the songs and dialogues in Happy days) and really getting into character every rehearsal. By the end of the musical theatre course, I would like to see myself as a confident, creative character that is not afraid to take on any challenge or role!

Since the start of the course, I have already seen myself improving and gradually reaching my set goals, for I have already gained so much more confidence when it comes to singing, as before, I was overwhelmed and surprised by all the other talented singers in the course that, I have to admit, I was one of the quiet ones in the first vocal rehearsals. However, everything has changed now! I am more confident with my singing skills and I could say that I am no longer quiet with my singing! Secondly, I believe that I have been less self-conscious when it comes to working with my fellow students and really getting into the performance for I have grown to know and be more comfortable around the people I work with since the beginning of the course and I could already feel that musical theatre has already become way more fun! I am excited to see how much all of us will have grown by the end of the course and hopefully we can also make the audience see the same through our performances!

Get Singing!

The first time I ever listened to the soundtrack, I thought it was overwhelmingly good. And every time I listen to it, it only becomes better and better. Overall, I liked all the songs included and although all the voices in each song are in almost perfect harmony, you can still hear each individually, which sounds really nice.

My favourite would always be “Malachis,” for it just has lots of pure energy exerted into the song and I think both of the singers had outstanding voices! It matched the personality of their characters and the personality of the song. I feel like I could never get tired of listening to this song. By listening to it, I have learned that you don’t need facial expressions to convey a message and introduce your personality; you can achieve these by putting everything and just feeling the song and the rhythm. This is what I would strive to do the next vocal rehearsal.

My least favourite is the reprise of “What I Dreamed Last Night,” because, first of all, I didn’t think Pinky’s voice suited the song and her character; she almost sounded like a little kid. Also, in some parts of the song, where the girls’ lines are overlapping, it sounded kind of chaotic for me instead of it sounding harmonized. However, I believe CSHC would do a much better job!

Get Happy!

Since I chose to watch an episode of “Happy Days,” I figured it’s just right to watch the pilot, ‘All the Way.’ It’s about Richie Cunningham getting a date with a pretty girl, Mary Lou Milligan, who has also got a reputation among the boys. In this episode, all the main characters are introduced and I gradually learned and recognised their unique personalities.

Unfortunately, the Fonz had a minor part in this episode. I didn’t think he quite depicted the role of someone everybody idolizes—a hero—rather, he seemed to be merely someone everybody fears, somewhat like a cop. Nonetheless, his known skills in getting women was still shown in little ways.

However, the most important thing I have learned by watching the show is the difference and similarities between the girls in the 1950s and today. A representation of a girl in that era is Mary Lou. First of all, she dresses differently than most girls today, and the way she talks would be considered unusual now. She seemed very childish and innocent despite her reputation. I think these observations would help me a lot as a calendar girl in the musical for I learned how girls in the 1950s act and move, which would help me get into character more.

All in all, I thought this episode of “Happy Days” was fantastic and I am glad we are doing a version of this show for this year’s musical!