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Recently, I came back NJCU after 2 years of being out of school. I was a transfer student when I came to NJCU and for my first year, I was A Music Business Major. Being a Music Business Major was new, exciting, and quite difficult for me. At the time I was embracing the opportunity I had to explore my new latent of singing. In 2018 I wrote my first song and was shocked by my voice. I got so much great feed make when I share the song with others and I wanted to learn more about music. Prior though, Ive always been a fine artist and was getting my feet wet with event production and organizing showcases so I knew a lot of other artists. At the time of writing my first song, I enrolled to Essex County College. There I began taking my first set of music lessons and even had my first ever experience of performing live when I participated in the talent show. Performing my first original song in front of a large crowd was exhilarating and scary and I wanted to keep going. This was a pivotal moment for me because I then moved to Jersey City and found out about the Music Business Program at NJCU. I auditioned for the program with my same original song, and I was surprised when I got accepted into the program. I knew this was the beginning of a New Journey. After my first year at NJCU as a Music Business major, I realized How much being a vocalist required. From the voice classes, to learning the fundamentals of music, to attending all of the recitals.. it was a new world for me. I was used to learning about the Basics of Drawing and painting, and attending art shows. I loved being able to learn how to produce my own songs and collaborate with other artists but I missed drawing, my first love. Drawing is hard, but its easy for me because it was one of my skills and passions. Music was a new found love, and it was hard because I was learning everything for the first time with being with semi trained already musicians. I started to feel like I was out of my lane and missing out on something. So I wanted to go back to being a Visual Artist and changed my major to Art. Then Covid happened..
Everything was on a standstill at this time, and suddenly school became virtual. Even art studio classes became virtual. It all just wasn't working out for me so I took a break from college to work part time at my local cafe called Snapdragon. There I got the opportunity to start organizing art exhibitions in the mist of the pandemic. For me it felt like a call for action with everything that was happening with the BLM movement and everything else that was happening politically. Organizing, and connecting with all kinds of artists was the only was I could keep my mental health at float and not feel as alone as many of us were. During this time was the most I used social media. I used to to promote my arts shows, find other arts, and build a following for my brand and the cafe. We slowing began doing social gathering again and my audiences grew. I was the host for all of my events and this got me out of my shell even more than performing did. For me this was my form of activism, and I was creating a platform for myself and others during a time when the government was trying to take away or freedom. "Now, think again for a moment about how most activists often build membership in their movements. How do they convince new-comers to step off the curb of indifference and join in our struggle for a new world? Activists ambush people on the street, clipboard in hand, asking people to sign petitions and donate money. We stuff fact-filled flyers and pamphlets into people’s hands. We build websites where people can access information. We organize public forums at which people can hear the truth from experts, and fantasize about having the media reach of a cable news station. We dump overwhelming amounts of often depressing information about the world on people, and then expect them to be energized and excited about joining us. This is routine activist practice."
Since then Ive produced 2 more songs, started my own business, host pop up art exhibitions, and was even doing background acting. From being a person who grew being shy, not outspoken, and often afraid of confrontation. Ive seen my growth through all these activities that Ive threw myself into due to my need to stay active. With this in mind, Ive been able to see my lifestyle as a performance. I often times am more brave than I expect myself to be. Solo traveling, being an event host/promoter, and performing live has gotten my so far out of my shell. It allows me to step out of myself and perform in certain circumstances so that I can get specific results I am seeking compared to the results I would receive as my reserved, timid over thinking self that I usually am. On a day to day, If I want to try something new or scary.. I tell myself "Just do it, what's the worst that can happen, who cares it they don't like it or they don't like me.." Then I stop thinking and just do. Now fast forward to today, Because of life circumstances like working morning jobs and needed to pay rent while still trying to pursue my bachelors degree.. Ive realized that being an Art Major and NJCU will not work out for me. The art department at NJCU is also taking away motors unfortunately and studio classes don't aline with my daily work schedules. So If I want to graduate anytime soon and utilize the credits I already have, Ive made the difficult decision to now go back to being a Music Business Major.
With already about 60 credits in and 1 year of being a music major on my transcript, I figured this would be the best decision. Now back to the art fundamentals of music classes.. more like Math for music. Ironically, I hate math and I am now a math tutor for elementary students. Definitely some learning curves I will need to be adjusting to. I also view my teaching experiences as a performance because I consistently have to present myself as an authoritative figure for young kids when I still as navigating my youth as a young adult. "The workshop, the platform of teaching and learning, is in and of itself the performance. It doesn’t lead to another output or product." Each session or class or event I host, I am performing, I am entertaining my audience and delivering ideas and concepts. With all of this being said, For my intervention performance art project. I have recently sang at a Karaoke Night, to embrace my journey of transitioning back to being a Music Business Major. I got to have fun, let loose, and perform in front of a small intimate crowd. I currently going through a break up as well so the song choices were hilarious. I haven't sang in front of people since my first year at NJCU in 2019 so the Karaoke night was interesting but fun.
Sources:
Hispanic Executive | Interview with Shaun Leonardo - Performance, Pedagogy, and Philosophy
History from The Art of Activism, Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible by Steve Duncombe and Steve Lambert
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