My Time at McNally :)

 Just this last Thursday I took off to St. Paul Minnesota for a vocal workshop at McNally Smith College of Music. I received a brochure in the mail and it seemed like it would be a good time. Fortunately, I was right. Actually, I was more than right because my experience at McNally was so much more special than I bargained for.

Now I'll be honest, thinking about being 4 hours away from home at a camp where I would know absolutely no one scared the crap out of me. I'm not the most outgoing person, so I was worried that making friends would be a challenge. Thankfully, I was wrong in that assumption.

Let's start with my roommates. Mary, Eileen, and Nina all appeared to be chill girls that I could get used to living with for 5 days. Little did I know that these girls would become some of my favorite people in less than a week. We were able to laugh, share our stories, insecurities, and love for singing together. When I think about the best parts of this trip, I think about us 4 girls staying up late, goofing around, and just being fools together. I have to thank you three for being not only tolerable roommates, but one-of-a-kind friends.

            In my opinion the coolest night at this workshop was the night of open mic. I believe there were about 16 acts that signed up and I can honestly say I enjoyed every single one. Watching other people use their talents to entertain a crowd is so inspiring. I’m going to go off on a somewhat related tangent and say that it’s just a really cool feeling to be able to move beyond a place of jealousy while watching other people perform, to a place of determination and inspiration because you hope to one day be as good as them, as brave as them, or as brilliant as them. Being a musician, to me, is one of the most vulnerable things a person can do. You’re putting yourself out there and taking the risk of being judged, but that open mic night was one of the most surreal things to witness because everyone supported everyone. I mean, how often do you see rappers on their feet applauding a girl who just finished belting a classic jazz tune? Or what’s the likelihood of seeing kids who listen to punk rock move and groove to the fine beats of hip hop dudes? I feel like everyone at this camp had respect and admiration for one another, because each of us as individuals understands the struggle of performing in front of other people, let alone a room full of fellow musicians. Let me just say there was some wicked talent showcased that night. Y’all need to keep an eye out for Jp Cudi in the future because that kid’s (excuse my profanity) a fucking genius when it comes to music. I felt honored simply to be sitting in the same room as those who performed.

            Another fond memory from that night is when a guy taking the hip hop workshop, Antonio, talked to me and my roommates for a while. He asked Mary Elizabeth what her story was behind being a singer and she immediately had an answer for him because that’s just the passionately sure person she is. When he passed that question onto me though, I was not only stumped, but even a little ashamed because I didn’t have a heartfelt reason behind why I do what I do. After I pondered over the question, I just told him that I don’t really have a story and I honestly don’t know what spurred my interest in singing, but I do know that music truly is the only thing that has ever made sense to me. Music is my passion. I feel like other people feel that way too, ya know? Like music is that one thing that told them “Hey, you matter and you have a purpose.”

           I’ll use that word as a basis for my conclusion; passion. The reason these 5 days were some of the best days of my life is because I got to spend all day every day singing. I mean, that’s my dream right there. In one of our vocal rehearsals, our instructor Jennifer explained the meaning of the song Glitter in the Air to us. She said that the song was about those intangible moments in our lives that really can’t be described; we just know that they’re magical and have affected us as human beings. That stood out to me so much, because that’s what this experience at McNally was for me. I was surrounded by people who had a deep passion for what they do, which is a feeling you really can’t beat. The bonds I formed with the kids at this camp are stronger than the bonds I have with some people that I’ve known for years all because we have one grand thing in common: we love music. I am forever grateful to all of you who made my time at McNally exceptional. I hope that you all continue to believe in yourselves and music. ♥

Much love,

Libby Crawford