Confessions of a Pianist

The Miss America Organization is set apart and cherished for its talent portion of the competition, which is not only fun and entertaining, but also carries the most weight in terms of contestant scoring (35%).  If you are a friend or classmate of mine, even if you've known me since preschool with Mrs. B, you are probably guessing that I will sing for my talent.

Surprise!  Vocal performance is not the only love in my life.  When I was in the fifth grade, I pleaded with my parents to let me take piano lessons like most of my friends who started in kindergarten... I wanted to be cool like them. Eventually I convinced them and I practiced on a small twenty key brightly colored toy piano. After some time, my grandparents who live two hours away loaned us their upright piano and I've been in love with the piano ever since. You might find me in the JBM Student Lounge practicing between classes, performing at random events or in talent showcases, but mostly, piano feels like a secret talent. It is soothing to express myself without words and I look forward to performing on stage during the Miss Mass pageant. Taking inspiration from Taylor Kinzler, Miss Mass 2012, who changed her talent for Miss America and then won a non-finalist talent award, I'm thrilled to perform a talent that might surprise some of my friends and family, since they mostly know me as a vocalist.  Especially after four semesters of graded one-on-one piano lessons in college, I'm excited to showcase my twelve years of love for the piano. It should be a lot of fun and I hope that if you're considering attending the pageant that you will contact me about tickets.  

A few confessions:  I've broken the pedal on my piano twice... and I've jammed a few of my fingers (ouch!) being overly ambitious with the keys.  

Performing the national anthem on the ice before some impressive hockey!
 

Lauren

PS: I picked out my swimsuit from South Shore Swimwear on Sunday and I'm excited to say that Ichose a color that I've never worn before, even at the beach. I fell in love with the color and I'm excited to be adventurous.  It will be fun to showcase our new sponsor!  Check out their styles: http://www.pinterest.com/southshoreswim