CBA Record Feb-March 2018

YLS Special Issue: The Benefits of Belonging

I t is the GrammyAwards 2018, and I’m watching a show on an actual TV for the first time in a long time. My old friend, Dani Markham, is going to play percussion tonight with singer Childish Gambino. Markham and I went to music school together, and she announced on Facebook that she would be performing at the Grammys. I turned on the TV hoping I could possibly catch a glimpse of her. During the 4:06 minutes of Childish Gam- bino’s stripped back version of “Terrified,” several times I see Markham behind him, with a tambourine moving in her right hand and her drum stick in her left. I first feel proud that my music school classmate is playing with one of the night’s “Album of the Year” nominees. As the performance continues, however, I start feeling a slight twinge of “what if ”? We’re the same age and come from the same music school pedigree; if I had continued to put music and performing first, and had not gone to law school, would I be playing with big stars, too? I went to the University of Miami Frost School of Music for my undergraduate studies, where I received a B.M. in Music Business and Entertainment Industries. During music school, I was a violin princi- pal and jazz vocal secondary, and obtained a minor in Business Law. After finishing school, I moved away from Miami, find- ing periodic gigs in Orlando, Tampa, and Nashville. Soon, I moved back to the Chicago suburbs, where I found two steady jobs teaching violin, voice, and piano, plus I gigged professionally with bands on the weekends. For years, I thought about applying to law school. Two of my undergrad profes- sors, both lawyers, suggested law school to me during music school, but I did not give law school any serious thought until 2012, when my job growth stalled. So, I took the LSAT and applied for law school. At the beginning of my first year at The John Marshall Law School, like a lot of law students, I joined many clubs and dozens of local organizations, including the Chicago

Bar Association. Most of these groups had free registration for students. I initially continued my CBA membership because it was convenient; the CBA building was next-door to John Marshall and the orga- nization hosted many free events. Each year I received a similar email from the CBA with a catch phrase like, “do you like to sing and dance? You should audi- tion for the Bar Show.” During school I thought, I have WAY too much work, and my class schedule is way too busy to audition for another play, especially with actors and singers who likely are doing this show for fun, and do not take it as seriously as I do . In Fall 2016, however, I had not yet found a legal job after finishing law school. I figured the Bar Show could be a simple project to keep my mind busy while I looked for a job. I emailed Marla, the director, and got an audition time. Auditions requested 16 bars of a song that showed off my voice. I auditioned with “Mama Will Provide” from “Once on this Island,” which I often use for musical theater auditions. I Can Do That Auditions for the Bar Show reminded me of some of the toughest auditions after music school: a line of producers and writ- ers in a row would judge me and decide if I was good enough to join their ranks. I then had to learn a short dance sequence. Six others attended my audition day, but I only recognized one woman during our first rehearsal. The directors sent out an email to the entire cast announcing three new cast members that year. Before the start of my first rehearsal for “This Case is a Shamilton,” the 2016 Bar Show, a few members of the close-knit bar show cast spoke to me, and asked me about my background. When I told them I was looking for my first job in non-technical Intel- lectual Property, several made suggestions or stated that they knew people who could assist. Rehearsal started and I felt at home; many members of the group were sight- reading hard, rap-based, modern music. Not only was I impressed, but also I real-

ized that I might have been quick to judge this “little” show from a local organization. That first year I had a featured part with my friend Ebony Smith, playing Malia and Sasha Obama, who were ready to leave the White House. We sang a parody of “Part of Your World.” Over the next two months, I enjoyed learning more about my castmates. Many cast members have degrees in the arts, and are professional actors, singers, danc- ers, and writers. Several people regularly work in major playhouses and professional bands. As the play continued, I realized there are so many talented and professional people that produce, direct, write our songs, and assist in the making of the Bar Show. The CBA Bar Show pushes my abili- ties to be a better performer, because I am amongst some of the best actors, dancers, and singers in the city. It is amazing that these performers work daily as lawyers and still have time to hone their creative crafts. The single best part of the Bar Show for me over the last two years has been the Rookie Show. Every Bar Show cast mate who has been in the main show for three years or less gets to perform in the Rookie Show, where the Rookies do a show for the rest of the cast. We write, perform, and produce every aspect of the show, as a parody of the Bar Show, which is already a parody. It is a small group of superbly talented singers, actors, dancers, and writ- ers, and last year, we wrote a show that featured every member of our Rookie cast to the fullest extent. The Bar Show’s unexpected benefit has been its networking opportunities. After my first show ended in December 2016, two cast members helped me contact potential employers, and consistently followed-up with me until I got a job. One cast member brought me to numerous networking events and introduced me to several members of the legal community. Even though I did not have my first legal job yet, this cast member went out of her way to make sure I would have many con- tacts for when I started working in the field.

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