I Dreamed a Dream
When I was in my Freshman year of college, I spent Christmas break preparing pieces of music for an audition to the Music School at the University of Miami. One of those pieces was a song I had grown to absolutely love, I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. While in its explicit context of a lover lost, I could not relate at just the age of 18, but I could relate to the heartache and the desire to have had a different less abused life. This experience is one of those that shaped my desire for justice and when I see injustice I feel absolutely distraught. I will never forget what that voice teacher said to me: "When Fantine sings this she has been through so much. I just feel like you are too young to convey this in the piece." I am certain she saw my face turn dark red, but I didn't say anything because I didn't owe her an explanation or my trauma. By the time I was 18, I had lost a sibling, been physically and emotionally abused, and considered takin...