Student Blog: A Day in My Life!

There’s something comforting about routines, even when life feels busy and uncertain. For this blog, I wanted to do something a little different. So, I’m going to be taking you guys through a day in my life as a musical theatre major at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee!

8:30 AM - Wake up! ☀️

• Skincare
• Cook breakfast
• Do some makeup

& then off to class!

9:30-10:50 - Voice and Speech! 🗣

Today we worked on:

• Speaking omnish
• Starting on IPA symbols
• Focusing on different stretches that help us to feel in our bodies & how that connects to our voice

In this class, I’ve really been trying to focus on letting go of the tension I hold in my body, especially after a long week, and letting things happen more naturally in my voice. I’m also trying to focus on being more playful with the new things I’m learning, rather than worrying about if it’s “perfect” or not. I’m trying to go into class with an open mind and allow myself to digest new material while staying curious about my learning!

10:50-11:30 AM - Break!

• Meal prep a bit for the long day ahead 😉

11:30 AM - 12:50 PM - Global Theatre Histories! 📚

Today’s class:

• Discussion on Dion Boucicault's “The Octoroon” and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play “An Octoroon”
• We watched short clips at home and then had an in-depth class discussion about audience, intention, and ambiguity in An Octoroon.

In Global Theatre histories, I’m really trying to open my mind to different perspectives, cultures, and theatrical traditions outside of what I already know, and to challenge the way I’ve been taught to think about theatre. My goal in this class is to become a more curious and intentional artist both in and out of the classroom.

12:50 - 2:00 PM - Break #2

• Head home to eat some lunch and recharge a bit!

2:00 - 3:50 PM - Viewpoints! 🎭

In today’s class, we got to work on our final project that will be presented at the end of this semester! In this project, we are using all the physical viewpoints we’ve been learning about and working with in class, including elements of sound, space, character, and more! All of these elements will eventually be worked into our final project.

A few things we have been looking at in previous classes:

• The 9 physical viewpoints in the Viewpoints system of actor training
• Dropping into our soft focus and letting that guide and inform us
• Kinesthetic response
• How we move about space and how that directly correlates to our development of truthful acting

This is such a fun, playful, and informative class, and I am very grateful to have it. I like to call it “an acting class with no words” because we get to truthfully and honestly move about dpace and just explore with different exercises. This can be how our bodies move, how we move in response to others, or how we move in relation to space. Similarly to my Voice and Speech class, I’ve really been honing in on dropping into my soft focus and letting myself be curious. I often wonder if I'm getting the exercise right, but I’ve really started to let myself just explore, and truly think about how viewpoints relate directly to acting and how we exist as human beings.

4:50 - 5:20 PM - Tap! 🥁

Today’s class:

• Worked on a timestep combination we’ve been looking at
• Did some across the floor, working specifically on grab-offs
• Worked on a combination we started last class that incorporates the steps we’ve been working on

I love tap so much, and I’m so grateful that I got to fit this class into my schedule this semester! I’ve been taking tap classes since I was 3, so it has a very special place in my heart. I’ve really been trying to work on getting specific with my steps, even if the step is something I know how to do. Making sure that I get each and every sound in there is a really important step! I’ve also been trying to really weave my artistry into my tap dancing. Beyond just getting the steps or combinations right, I was to be more curious about how those steps and the music live inside my body, and how I can make it my own!

5:30 - 6:50 PM - Jazz! 🕺🏼

Todays adjenda:

• Warm up!
• Some across-the-floor exercises (Prances, jazz runs, chaîné turns)
• Started a new combination (jazzy/contemporary vibe!)

In this class, I’m really trying to focus on getting out of my head and into my body. I’m trying to learn to trust that the steps are there, but also acknowledge that it’s my job to tell a story with the steps I’m given. This, for me, is especially hard because I am really hard on myself in dance in general. It can be tough when I don’t get the steps right, or I'm not as in tune with my body as I want to be. I’m also really working to improve my technique this semester and practice more on my own time so that my work will start showing up in class and help me progress. For me, this class is all about storytelling, while also making sure that I am living through each and every step and can let it breathe in my body without a second thought.

6:50 - 7:30 PM - Break #3

• Go home and eat dinner!

7:30 - 9:30 PM - Vocal Studio Class! 🎤

Vocal Studio classes are a chance to get with your voice teacher and your studio class to workshop any songs you want! Our voice teacher gets to watch, listen, and coach us on what specifically we want to work on in our pieces. These classes usually take place once or twice a month and are a great learning experience! It’s so fun to get to see what everyone is working on and watch them on their path, doing what they love and are passionate about!

• Today, I worked on “Watch What Happens” from Newsies!

In my vocal lessons, specifically for this song, I’ve really been working on phrasing and thinking about how I can really embody this character and this story. This song in particular is super wordy, so I’m in the process of really mapping out my phrases and trying to say them as if I were just speaking! From a storytelling perspective, I really want to dive into Catherine's character and how big this opportunity is for her! This is such a fun, lively, and exciting song, and I’m so excited to continue working on it!

9:30 - Done for the day! 😴

Though it's been a long day full of hard work, I am so very grateful to do what I love every day. My classes this year have been nothing short of amazing, and I truly feel like I am learning so much. I am definitely starting to connect what I am learning across my classes, and I am so excited to continue my learning at BoCo this semester. More than anything, I feel like I’m finally stepping into myself and becoming the artist I’ve always dreamed of being.