Finding My Voice

By: Sawsan Ali
@sawsanhishamali

 

Two semesters ago, I did something rather unusual for a Business major. I signed up for a one-credit private voice class.

I didn’t have any real music experience prior, and although I had been wanting to take voice lessons for a long time, I never really found a good vocal coach.

After joining university, I was searching through AUC related Facebook groups when I came across a comment about two university-affiliated choirs, both directed by John Baboukis, a Music Professor on campus.  

This piqued my interest. I reached out to Baboukis through email to see if there was a possibility for me to participate.

Baboukis was very kind, allowing me to take part in The Cairo Choral Society without any music background, which I was extremely thankful for.

But let’s face it – I couldn’t read notes, let alone decipher Mozart. I knew nothing about music, and had never properly learned to sing.

Regardless, I continued to attend weekly rehearsals for a semester and a half – until corona hit Egypt in early 2020.

At this point, I wanted to be more involved with music. The choir wasn’t enough to teach me the basics I needed to know, and now, it was no longer even an option.

I think part of what drove me to finally sign up for private voice lessons was the pandemic. Many people picked up interesting hobbies during that time. This was my thing.

I will admit; auditioning online, and having lessons through Facetime and Zoom during the first month of the semester wasn’t the most ideal situation. My voice instructor assumed I was terrible at matching pitch and tried to help by sending me an ear training app to practice.

Another challenge for me when it came to voice lessons – which I surprisingly hadn’t realized would be a challenge – is that I’m generally quite shy.

When I met with my instructor for the first time on campus, I vividly remember standing a small distance away from the piano and thinking: I registered for this class, I’m here, now what? Am I expected to open my mouth and sing? I realize it sounds silly, but if you’re someone who is at all familiar with being shy, I think you’ll get what I’m trying to say.

Professor Nouresta El Marghany, my voice instructor, has repeatedly made an effort to get me out of my shell, sometimes commenting on my speaking habits, trying to get me to project more while talking, not just while singing.

She sometimes asks me to show her what happens with my voice when I ‘don’t think’, and always tells me that I have to learn to ‘let go’, basically meaning I don’t need to always feel in control of everything, which is generally a good life lesson.

Professor Mina Nabil, our pianist, would also often pitch in to help with a comforting smile or suggestions on how to adjust my sound, which also made a huge difference.

I don’t suppose I ever imagined officially studying Music at university. It’s just not what someone thinks of when they envision a practical major. Music is not a career option I considered, and accordingly, not a field I considered focusing my studies on.

But what I think is important to understand is that what you study should not be limited to what you want your career to be, but more broadly, what you want your life to look like – exploring whatever piques your interest.

Signing up for music lessons at AUC, whether voice lessons, reading music, or guitar – which I picked up last semester – has, I believe, been one of my best university experiences.

Regardless of the career choice I pursue, these lessons have helped me, and continue to help me, in a much more meaningful way. They have become an outlet for me, a place where I can slowly learn to ‘let go’, understand myself better, and find my voice.

I’ve become more comfortable and confident with the way I sound, which I think is something many people struggle with at some point – not liking the sound of their own voice.