At the heart of all my vocal performances, from church to singing last minute in a Baltimore talent show, I would never have been able to conquer those moments if it was not for the discipline, control, and practice I have gained from being a vocalist. I believe discipline, control, and practice play a very important role to me as a vocalist. Singing has molded me into the person I am today, because not only have I used these techniques when it comes to singing but also in my everyday life and situations. I truly believe that without me knowing and understanding these techniques, I would not understand the craft of singing and will not be able to become the great performer I am determined to be.

When I was chosen out of a group of about twelve vocalists to be that special person to open the Diamond Xcel Elite Showcase at Howard University, I was honored. The show director stated that he wanted to open the show strong and felt that after watching us practice several times I was the person that could and would deliver just that. As I sat backstage awaiting the five minutes to pass before I took the stage, my nerves had proceeded to try to get the best of me. Though my legs began to fell weak along with my hands shaking, I began to think “mind over matter”. Even though my nerves was there, when I really thought about it I was not nervous at all. That is where the discipline I learned had paid off and not only just the discipline, but also the control. I had to calm myself down and not psych myself out. I also had to get control of my nervous energy and turn that nervous energy into positive energy. As the stage director led me to the stage stairs, I knew my time to deliver my talent was here. Even though my mind knew that, my legs and hands did not get the memo. As I was introduced, I walked on the stage to declare my presence. I grabbed the microphone and opened my mouth to sing. As I sang, the nerves were no longer there. During my performance I was in a zone that only singing had the ability to put me in. A comfort zone that was more comfortable than me lying on my bed, a place where it could have seemed as if I was a completely different person. But I was not; I was just on another level of performing, a level that I have never been on before as a performer. I had surprised others but I had also surprised myself. I have never performed with such power and emotion before that night.

By performing I have been able to overcome self-doubt and attain confidence. There was a time when I never wanted to sing in front of people other than family. I started to realize that performing in front of people allowed me to impact them. I also realized that I had a gift that I should no longer be shy about or be afraid to share. I strongly feel that singing is a part of me and I had to embrace my gift.