Malcolm Gets Master Class and Performance

During my first two weeks at Santa Fe College, I was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity. As part of the Master Artist and Performing Arts Series at Santa Fe, Malcolm Gets visited Santa Fe College to perform a concert as well as teach a master class. The master class was geared toward aspiring performers, like myself. I was able to attend both the concert and perform for Malcolm at his master class. After attending both events, I was able to witness Malcolm’s advice from the master class be put to the test during his concert the following night.

His master class consisted of various vocal students performing musical theatre pieces for Malcolm. After each individual student performed their song, Malcolm then gave feedback on their performance. The first student to sing performed “On My Own” from the Broadway musical Les Miserables. After she had finished performing the first thing that Malcolm had asked her was how she felt. The student confessed that she was relieved as she had been nervous beforehand. Malcolm used this to introduce to the students how nerves serve to be beneficial for the performer. Malcolm suggested that we aren’t nervous; instead we are adrenalized with energy. The nerves that we feel can be used to feed us energy and our fellow performers’ energy as well.

At Malcom’s concert the next night, he had picked a few singers from the master class to perform either their song or a new song he had picked out for them. Witnessing the singers transform into new performers within only 24 hours truly attested to Malcolm’s wisdom of performing. At the master class, Malcolm had one young man pull an imaginary rope in towards himself. Doing so visually taught the student what it means to use breathing as support. The student was one of the four to sing with Malcolm at his concert. Watching the student the next night, I witnessed just how far he had come. His sound traveled so much farther with little effort!

Unfortunately, because we had run out of time by the time I was supposed to sing, myself and the other three last singers had to perform back-to-back and ask Malcolm questions. When Malcolm had asked me how I had felt about my performance of “All the Things You Are” from Very Warm for May I had admitted that my song could have been smoother. I told him how breathing has always been a weak point of mine. He said that part of breathing involves just “letting go” and pushing your diaphragm as far as it can go; no matter how unattractive. He had also recommended that I try pulling the rope towards myself, just as he had done with the other student.

What had stood out to me about Malcolm was that his concert appeared to be less of a concert. When I imagine a musical concert, I imagine an unattached audience receiving a few ideas from music and going home unaffected. However, Malcolm treated his concert as if it were a story. Growing up from Gainesville, Malcolm had many memories to share with his audience. Sharing his memories with the spectators created a warm atmosphere in which his concert was no longer citizens observing someone pluck a few keys. Instead, his concert broke the “fourth wall” and told a story that connected everyone in the fine arts hall.