What She Doesn’t Want

Malia has been in a musical theater class this semester. She took the class last year and really enjoyed it, so she decided to use another elective to take it again. Unfortunately, they reworked the class, making the 2.0 version a whole different beast from the class she took last year, and she really ended up hating this class. That may seem like a strong sentiment, but it’s valid. She has participated and done what was required of her, but she has not enjoyed it. Having said that, this week was performance week and despite not really digging the whole situation, she did a great job. 

Rather than rehearsing and presenting an entire show, this second version of the musical theater class focused on preparing for future auditions. This was great for those kids who really dig theater and want to pursue professional performance options, but not so great for kids who just really like singing and being in the chorus. There was a lot of focus on selecting and preparing solos as audition pieces and the natural performance that comes from that curriculum was a musical revue. The theme for this review was “What We Want” and the songs included were ones that showcased the desires of a particular character.

After all the in-class auditions and such, Malia was given the part of Edna Turnblad in the song “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now.” She also participated in a bunch of the chorus parts. She has to concentrate really hard on the choreography parts and we can definitely see that focus on her face when she performs, but when she wasn’t thinking quite so hard to make sure she got the steps right, she actually looked like she was having fun. And that’s a win!

For Malia, I think the biggest takeaway from this class is the knowledge that she really doesn’t like participating in theatrical productions. She is not a natural when it comes to dancing and choreography was a struggle. She much prefers to sing in a group in a choral setting rather than solo. And she is so over all the social drama that so very often happens in connection with a show. But I feel like learning what she does and doesn’t enjoy is a big part of taking classes in a bunch of different areas, so in the sense, I feel like this class was a success for her. And honestly, she did a good job! She is her own worst critic, and it can be hard not to compare yourself to kids for whom this type of performance comes naturally, but really, I think she did well. She worked hard, she was courageous, and she learned that she can do hard things. So, kudos to my kiddo.