Surrounded by Talent

When I was in high school, a friend and I would always write these silly little songs when we were supposed to be in class and we were absolutely proud of them. But in all honesty, they weren’t really that good. As I entered college my musical abilities were maturing (thank goodness) along with every other aspect of my life. As I got to know everyone, I came to realize that all of my peers were extremely talented musicians. It was rather annoying really. As hard as I still try, it’s significantly hard to compete.

Since Butler is nowhere near a large body of students you get to know the others pretty well. There have been many to stand out but just to name a few: Donnie Chauncey, Kelsey Colby, Cameron Bedell, and James Williams. These kids have so many possibilities for greatness in their future along with most of the others in the fine arts department.

So the biggest vocal concert of the year is coming up on the first weekend of May. The show will feature many solos with some good ol’ classics to some fun new tunes. The whole program will be fast paced with lots of running for costume changes and panicking backstage, I’m sure. Though with the professionalism they teach here, no one will let any of it show.

While the competition is stiff, I’m glad it’s this way. If everyone was subpar around me that wouldn’t make me strive to be better. I would be confident and comfortable with where I was at. Instead, I will appreciate their talents and grasp the opportunity to see them before they get to be famous when I’ll have to pay to go to their shows. As for now I’ll attempt to keep evolving and growing as a musician by comparing and competing with all their skills.

-rachel hoeffner