Op-ed: Important life lessons learned from the Musical
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| Celia Yost |
A common reaction upon hearing the
term “vulnerability” consists of cringing, stomach butterflies, or a sense of
nakedness and shame. Vulnerability often holds potential as a giant risk, with
possible results more disappointing than any previous experience. Tryouts, the
definition of nerve wracking, make palms sweaty, knees shake, and stomachs
turn. Why, then, would a shy teenage boy, who has never performed in his life,
walk into a room in front of four intimidating judges to sing his heart out?
Because vulnerability creates new chances. It promotes bravery and confidence.
And while vulnerability comes with the possibility of failure, “at the worst,
if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.” Never in my life would I
have imagined that I would consider musical the highlight of my year, yet two
shows later, I encourage all student in the school to try out.
Confidence
begins in a small audition room, and in a matter of two months the newfound
boldness expands to a stage in front of hundreds. Musical forces its actors and actresses to be confident because those on
stage who do not overly expressive themselves look silly. As a ninth grader,
both emotional and physical insecurity ruled my life, but I learned. I learned how to feel
comfortable being on stage, and in turn I became comfortable with myself.
Acting like a different person, all while dancing and singing, builds more
confidence in the real person. The “I can do anything now” mindset takes over
after performing on stage and investing heart and soul into a show.
Without a
doubt, participating in musical demands a commitment of time. For the two weeks
previous to the show, the entire cast needs to stay directly after school until
ten o’clock at night. That means fifteen hours at school. For two whole weeks
we do not see the sun due to being in school and in the auditorium for the
majority of the day. And although the schedules of sixty high schoolers are
consumed with musical, work does not stop coming. In fact, during this time,
most teachers unknowingly decide to assign more projects, essays, and tests
than any other time in the year. No worries, future actors and actresses! Doing
musical holds true to the phrase “worth it”. True, the delicate balance between
homework and needing to go on stage seems impossible to find. But trust me when
I say that it has helped me to become much better at time management and
efficiency than ever before. I learned faster study habits, how to pay
attention to my surroundings yet still focus on homework, and how much of my
work I had to complete in order to still earn an A.
I also
learned that ok not having perfect grades is not the end of the world. Musical
taught me flexibility, and to “go with the flow”. Between musical, school,
homework, youth group, work, and other social events, things change. Missing a
fun party with friends, or not going to the basketball game does not seem like
such a big deal anymore. Flexibility with plans that change last minute comes
in handy during almost any situation. Stage work demands flexibility as well.
One week before opening night of Seussical
the Musical, our director decided that he did not like how it looked. The
natural response? Change it. Change all of the routines we had been nailing for
two months: blocking, singing, dancing. All of the sudden, Miss Dodson told to
run down the aisle rather than dance on top of the set. But because musical
teaches flexibility, the cast listened and the show looked even better than
before. After only two years of musical, the stress level in my life has
decreased by a substantial amount. I find no need to fear change because it
holds the potential to transform good to better.
Time
commitment, nerves, and a guarantee to change? Worth it. Musical holds valuable
life lessons and has given me confidence, flexibility, and a boldness that I
never knew existed.
I carry these life-changing characteristics with me wherever I go. So rather than ask why that shy teenage boy would try out, why would he not?
This op-ed reflects the opinion of the listed author(s), and does not necessarily reflect the views of the LSNews.org editorial board, its advisor, or the Lampeter-Strasburg School District.
--Celia Yost, Special to LSNews.org
