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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 4, 2022 0:29:49 GMT
If the school could actually get a glee club off the ground, Bella felt like it would be a great idea. And while being on a stage by herself still gave her the willies, singing in a group didn't sound so bad. So when she heard there was a meeting to see if enough people were actually interested, she decided to attend. The school did try to have some extracurricular stuff available, just so students could have some extra breathing room around all their classes.
When she got the auditorium, she wondered if maybe nobody else was coming. It was completely empty, save for a piano that had been hauled onto the stage, which Bella considered a smart move to do that ahead of time. She checked the time though and realized that she'd gotten here a bit early. She felt like her footsteps echoed awfully loud as she walked past the aisle of seats. Putting her backpack aside, she went to inspect the piano. It looked like it had seen better years, but when she hit a key, it sounded perfectly in tune. Maybe it still had some years left in it. She wasn't the best piano player, just the basics to help out her singing a bit. She hit a few more and started singing along with the notes.
I believe in you and in our hearts we know the truth And I believe in love and the darker it gets, the more I do Try and fill us with your hate and we will shine a light And the days will become endless and never, and never turn to night And never, and never turn to night
((Song: ))
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 4, 2022 1:10:35 GMT
Namine and Zelda had asked Dorothea if she wanted to go shopping with them, and as tempting as the offer was, she had to decline. She had heard through the grapevine that extracurricular activities were being announced. Not just the typical boring ones like sports or fencing or anything of the like. No, the club that sparked her interest was one that she hadn't thought of in years. Glee club. Finally, a chance to show her show skills in something other than karaoke!
As Dorothea entered the auditorium with her green eyes bright with joy, that light slowly dimmed. No one was here. Really? She could understand if people had powers with their voices like hers. Tenors, baritones - or as her mentor Manuela called them, "barries" - and basses would be at her mercy when she sang, but the sopranos and altos would be spared. But there was piano music playing. Live piano, none of the tinny pre recorded stuff that often people used at the multiple auditions that she had visited. She didn't know the song well, but she did know it from the botched effort by the drunkard at one karaoke night she went to. So rather than improvise a harmony at her full volume, Dorothea looked up at the pink haired pianist who was picking out the tune.
Florence and the Machine? Modern but deceptively tricky to pull off. Rhythm and harmony were key. If one beat was so much as a microsecond off, the song was off for everyone. But she had to admire the pink haired girl for actually doing a good job with the song. She had a good ear. So far no note was off, both in pitch and cadence. The piano was shaky, but Dorothea did remember the layering of the track covered the descent.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 5, 2022 23:08:39 GMT
Bella got caught up in her singing so much that she didn't even notice somebody else enter the auditorium. When she finally saw them though, she gave a squeak and her fingers awkwardly stumbled over the piano keys. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry, I didn't even see you there," she stammered, turning red in the face. God, that was embarrassing. So much for a good first impression.
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 6, 2022 0:11:26 GMT
Key on, key off. That was all that Dorothea heard when the singer finally took notice that she was there. The pink haired girl gave a squeak of embarrassment and started apologizing profusely. Dorothea held a hand up with a gentle expression. “Oh, no, it’s okay. Is there where the tryouts are for the glee club?” She was expecting more people to come walking in. Much to her dismay, there was not so much as the squeak of the door.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 6, 2022 20:56:14 GMT
"Oh, uh, yeah," Bella replied. "Looks like...we're the only ones here so far though." She glanced towards the door again. Nothing. Would the people in charge even show up? If they did, they'd probably leave if all they saw were Bella and this girl. "Um, let's wait a couple more minutes. I'm sure more people will arrive," she said, trying to sound optimistic. Surely she and this girl couldn't be the only ones interested in music? Although granted, liking music didn't necessarily mean a glee club was up your alley. Bella figured people who were into screamo or heavy metal probably wouldn't like a club like this.
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 6, 2022 21:07:58 GMT
Dorothea looked back over to the door. She had come here with her voice warmed up and everything. Her sheet music was organized pristinely, and she had marked her starting/ending points for the accompanist as all good auditionees did. But the pink haired girl was making a point of being early. She didn’t like waiting and letting her voice cool down, but in situations like this, she had to be flexible.
“Fair enough.”
To avoid coming off as snobby, she looked back at the piano.
“Is that what you were thinking of trying out with? It sounded really good.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 6, 2022 21:23:03 GMT
"I keep changing my mind, to be honest," Bella said, glancing back at the piano. "That one gets kind of fast and I don't know if maybe I should go with something...slower." She'd brought music for a few songs just in case, although Utena had commented about how she was probably over thinking it and people would like whatever she chose to sang. Her mother always said her voice was like a bell, soft and sweet like the tiny hand-held ones, but also big and proud like the ones in cathedrals.
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 7, 2022 14:43:02 GMT
“Have you ever had your range measured? Often times that can help with your strengths and weaknesses as a singer. From what I heard, you can hit low notes fine and you have beautiful vocal clarity. I just wonder if there’s something that can highlight all your vocal strengths.” That and this girl was a mad piano player. It took skill to sing and play an instrument at the same time. Dorothea could pick out notes on the piano from just a glance at sheet music, but she could not play an entire score if set in front of her.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 8, 2022 22:26:53 GMT
"Not really," Bella confessed. "I mean, I guess I...mostly sing for myself." Formal voice lessons wasn't something she'd really done. Although it was a bit embarrassing to admit that here she was, interested in a glee club, and she'd never really performed in front of people. Sure, she'd done it a bit when she was younger for her family, but that didn't really count. Singing off-key in a living room was a bit different than performing on a stage. It looked like this girl knew a lot about music though. Maybe she'd done this a lot more. "Do you perform a lot?" she asked.
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 10, 2022 4:11:20 GMT
“Well, that’s a start. Finding people that share doing something you love is a great way to make connections.” Dorothea smiled amiably. It was how she made friends back in the theatre troupe days. Everyone was so different. Some had superpowers, others didn’t, but they just enjoyed being on stage. Some shows were amazing. Others not so much. When the pink haired girl asked about performing, she looked at the stage. “I always loved the stage, but I really started performing when I was nine. From there, my performances took off. I never stopped learning to perfect my chops. I had my mom, oh, and my acting mentor Manuela. I learned everything from them.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 10, 2022 23:22:30 GMT
Bella nodded. That's what she was hoping. If she found people that liked the same hobbies she did, maybe she wouldn't feel so awkward getting to know them. The girl sounded like she had a pretty extensive background when it came to performing. "Wow," Bella said in amazement. "You must be really good." It made her wonder if she could measure up. Some of the kids interested might have been singing or playing instruments for a long time, and in front of others too. Would she be any good?
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 12, 2022 17:45:53 GMT
“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m superstar good.” Dorothea blushed. There were performers in stages all over the world that could do things she can’t. Some may have had her hypnotic voice that worked on all genders. Not that she’d brag about that, with it being a blessing and a curse. “Sight reading is especially hard. I can’t play piano and sing at the same time like you can. But with an accompanist, I have the entire floor.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 14, 2022 17:32:59 GMT
Bella nodded in agreement. Sight reading was hard. She didn't know how people could look at a piece of music and just figured out how it sounded in her heads. She always liked to plunk out the notes on a piano first. or listen to a recording of someone else singing it first. "Oh, I don't think I'll be some big concert pianist anytime soon or anything," she said. "If someone else does all the accompaniment, that's fine with me." It gave her one less thing to worry about, that was for sure. And most of her childhood had been spent singing with karaoke versions of her favorite songs.
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Post by zuyuri on Aug 14, 2022 17:50:08 GMT
"Oh, I know. Accompanying yourself while also trying to remember the song? So stressful. I'd take an accompanist or an instrumental track behind me any day. Mostly I do what you were doing, plucking out notes. Of course, I'm not exactly pitch perfect all the time." It was nothing like her mom, but then again, Nancy Tremaine-Arnold was renowned for her beautiful strong vocals and ability to play and sing at the same time. "Mom tried to teach me, but it just never stuck."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 14, 2022 20:20:46 GMT
At least Dorothea agreed with Bella on that. She guessed the glee club was probably going to have some kind of accompaniment if they put on any shows. Or maybe they'd do some acapella stuff. Those were fun to do, and you could sing those just about anywhere. "Oh, your mom sings too?" Bella asked, curious. No wonder Dorothea was good, even if she claimed she wasn't pitch perfect all the time. Bella's mom had never been a big singer, except maybe humming to herself when tending to her plants. But she'd always listen anytime Bella wanted to sing for her.
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