Get Your Gleek On!

For the uneducated or those who have been living under a rock, Glee is a musical comedy about a group of eager and ambitious students who strive to outshine their singing competition to win Nationals while navigating the cruel halls of McKinley High School.

 

Glee is a Fox Television show that began in 2009 and just wrapped its 3rd season with the seniors of McKinley High School graduating.  Some of the Glee Club members will be returning next year, while others go on to the bright lights of New York City to fulfill their dreams of stardom and fame.

 

I just started watching this year, and instantly became hooked.  Glee is a television show that embraces everyone – and I do mean EVERYONE.  The show tackles all of the issues that most of us dealt with in high school.  Wanting to be popular, voted homecoming queen and king, being an outsider, remaining a part of the “in” crowd by torturing and tormenting the “losers” in the school … and what really captured my attention is the fact that the “in” crowd that becomes a part of the Glee club soon become a part of that family, and are then thrust into the “loser” spotlight as well.  That is, until the Glee club makes being a loser “cool” with their awesome covers of some popular songs, and a few original songs as well.

 

A stunning cast with some special appearances by some truly great stars such as John Stamos, Whoopi Goldberg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Groban and Eve, just to name a few.  I do not believe that there is a single stereotype that has not been represented – gay, lesbian, bully, football jock, head cheerleader, in crowds, geeks, losers, bisexual, different racial representations – Glee has it ALL.

 

I want to applaud the writers at Fox for making this a show that truly captures the essence of high school life and shows each of us that it is never too late to follow your dreams.

 

I was in the chorus in high school.  I have always loved to sing.  I used to lay awake at night and dream of performing in front of thousands of screaming fans like Pat Benatar or Olivia Newton-John (who also made a guest appearance on Glee).  Unfortunately, God did not gift me with a knock-em-dead voice like Rachel Berry or Mercedes Jones.  My singing skills are more along the lines of Mike Chang, although I can’t dance either and bust a move like Mike can.  I would spend hours downstairs in the rec room with my hairbrush or a pool stick in hand, singing my heart out into them and ‘performing’ on stage and singing along to my favorite music videos (back when MTV actually played nothing but music videos).

 

Somewhere within those four years of high school though, my dreams changed.  Maybe it was when I auditioned for the ensemble – the “show choir” of my home school – and my teacher told me that I was pretty much tone deaf.  While I was fine in the regular chorus, there was no way in hell she was putting me in her ensemble, the best of the best.  So I started to consider other things that I was interested in and life just carried on from there.

 

But I still dream.  I still wonder what it would be like to perform on stage.  My heart jumps into my throat, my feet start tapping, and tears of various emotions run down my face when I listen to the cast of Glee sing.  They remind me that no matter what your obstacles in life are, if you dream it, if you want it, you can make it come true.

 

They give me hope.  They give me permission to dream my deepest fantasy.  Even if I only sing and dance to the dog, I can perform whenever I want, I can sing what is in my heart, I can capture my emotions and express them in song.

 

Music makes the world go around.  So grab yourself an episode or two of Glee and start to dream your dream, and let them inspire you to reach for the stars.

 

I did.

mcmsig

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