“When I was in high school, my mom taught me how to play the guitar and I wrote tons of songs. I used to perform for my friends and family, but struggled to overcome my stage fright and gig anywhere professionally. I wanted to pursue a career in songwriting, but I was too afraid of failure to even try. I went to college, got a job, got married, and had my first child before my 28th birthday. We lived in Phoenix, AZ and one evening, I saw a commercial for American Idol tryouts in Pasadena, CA. I learned that age 28 was the cutoff and knew this would be my last opportunity to try out. After some thought, I realized that if I didn’t ever try, I would always wonder what could have happened. Like Langston Hughes asks in his poem “Harlem”, I wondered what would happen to a dream deferred and hoped it would not fester and rot as he alluded. I worked up the nerve to register, deciding to find out for myself. Then, I called up my mom and asked her to come with me to Pasadena. She and I had an amazing adventure together, bonding over the pursuit of a common dream.
The day of the audition arrived and we waited in the Rose Bowl Stadium for hours. There were 50,000 people waiting with us in the stands. Eventually, we were separated into groups of 10 and ushered to the football field where 20-30 producers were seated at tables lined in rows. Each group of 10 would line up in front of their producer. Then each person had about 10 seconds to sing their audition song. If the producer liked it, he pointed in one direction, if she did not, we were asked to leave the stadium. I had 10 seconds to impress the producer with one verse of “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday. When it was my turn, my heart pounded and my throat threatened to close up, but I did my best to control my nerves, belting the few lines I could into the chaotic chorus of thousands, before I was abruptly cut off. Unfortunately, our entire group was waved toward the exit. It took me years to work up the nerve to even try and it was all over in just 10 seconds.
Even though my tryout was unsuccessful, I learned a really valuable lesson that day: I was brave and strong. Not only could I show up to something scary, but I could indeed survive failure. I’ve lived differently ever since. I’m excited to show my own kids how to push past fear, take healthy risks and embrace the lessons that accompany setbacks. I’m still a passionate writer, but my interests have changed over the years. What’s consistent is my commitment to being bold and resilient in every endeavor,” Instructor Kelly Lyro said.
