(**this is an essay that I wrote for my vocal teacher in order to receive a vocal scholarship for the summer...I ended up getting the scholarship, it was a great summer of lessons)
Vocal Scholarship Essay by Tamari Dunbar
I have been taking vocal lessons on and off for most of my life and once I was introduced to Speech Level Singing it was like finding the final pieces to a puzzle. Singing is not just a talent I possess, it is my passion. It is a part of who I am and I must do it. In recent years I went through a period where I was unable to sing for a time and it put me in a deep depression. Now I feel so blessed to have it restored and stronger then ever. It is a miracle to me every time I sing a song now and accomplish goals as a vocalist.
Speaking of goals, I have so many in this area. Now that I have found a method of singing that is helping me reach my potential as a vocalist I am on fire with new ways of using my talent. First, I want to share my gift with others by performing and teaching. There are many ways I can accomplish this. I can perform in recitals, theatrical productions, sing in church and continue to create and present firesides for the youth of the church. I can teach by being a good example to those around me by practicing on a regular basis and constantly finding ways to fine tune and improve my voice. I would also like to teach in the literal sense and start this summer off by joining the "pre-cert" hopefuls in SLS. It would be so wonderful to me to someday teach what I love and help others to accomplish their vocal goals and dreams.
I am a hard worker, especially when I have to opportunity to focus on something I am passionate about. Roger says that "when I get focused, watch out! I can move mountains!!" This scholarship opportunity, I feel, will help me do just that. And this leads me to my second goal, gaining more confidence and vocal security. Most of my life I have gotten by on raw talent and my ability to "wow" a crowd. I want to now match the vocal technique to that stage presence and acting ability.
And my last goal is to become more book smart when it comes to the voice. I want to do research on how everything works in a physical sense and become more educated in vocal history. If I am to teach I need to understand all this so I can explain it to my students. Along with that I need to start practicing my piano scales daily, making sure I can accompany a student when they are doing their vocal exercises.
I know that I will not "master" all these goals in one summer, but it will be a great boost and a wonderful excuse to focus on what I feel is one of my top priorities. I look back on how far I have come the past couple years vocally and I am proud of my accomplishments and feel so blessed to have found a teacher who can help me and inspire me to reach my goals. I know that if I continue on this path and do a little bit each day and challenge myself out of my vocal comfort zone, I will eventually accomplish what I have set out to do.
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