This month, we’re excited to feature adult voice student Josh Meesey!
Josh has studied with both Megan Mellenthien and Julie Koenig at Flourish, working on styles ranging from musical theatre to jazz. He has performed at several of our Adult Soirées, accompanying himself on both guitar and piano!
We are extremely proud of Josh for seeking out musical opportunities outside of lessons at Flourish. Most recently, he has taken on the responsibility of running an Open Mic Night at Stella’s Pinball in Downtown Greeley!
Read the interview below to learn more about Josh!
Tell us about your previous music experience.
I started doing musicals with my high school and the Champaign Urbana Theatre Company, my freshman year, but I’ve been doing something in music since the second grade.
How long have you taken voice lessons?
I started taking lessons here at Flourish about a year and a half ago, when I was working with Megan Mellenthien, who is a brilliant pedagogue.
What do you love about singing?
Singing is so much different than any other instrument: it’s the only one you need to put together, and maintain while you sing. It’s also the only instrument that you use in your day-to-day life! I’ve learned the most impactful part about learning to sing, is just learning to speak effectively! It’s been an eye-opener to say the least.
You recently started running the weekly Open Mic Night at Stella’s Pinball Arcade & Lounge. Can you tell us more about this, and why it’s fulfilling?
Stella’s Pinball Arcade is a new bar in town, underneath the Moxi Theater. It’s kind of small, but the atmosphere is very chill and welcoming, and I couldn’t ask for a better place to get to practice the performance side of my vocal journey with Flourish!! On Wednesday nights, from 9 to 11, I get to casually sing a few songs that I spend the week practicing, both building a strong repertoire, and building my showmanship and confidence on stage. Then on Thursdays, 8 to 10, my friend Rudy hosts open mic night there, which has been a wonderful opportunity to meet some other musicians and perform with them! I love the low-pressure atmosphere, and the amicable (not to mention talented) staff there, and feel very blessed to be a part of the dynamic there!
What do you like about Flourish?
As for Flourish, I’d say a lot of the same qualities apply! Both Megan and Julie have been friendly and supportive, even on my bad days, which definitely still happen. They are very knowledgeable about their craft, and always do their best to help me find the answers I need to always continue to grow, and more importantly they give me the encouragement to always want to continue to grow! Being active artists themselves, I constantly find myself inspired to achieve the things they’d probably consider to be average events anymore, like having a performance block at a local bar, or arranging anime intros for practice, or even getting up close and personal with the Broadway scene!
The soirées and open mic nights that Flourish hosts have also been a fantastic place to get performance practice in, and having the support of your teachers and peers there has a massive impact on my ethic towards the performance, letting me gracefully make mistakes and move on, but also letting me shine when I do well! Seeing how my peers grow, too, has also been very enlightening, because when you listen to music or go to a concert, all you ever hear is the polished product, but getting to hear others on their journey really highlights the strengths that we’ve all been working on, and gives us a chance to see where we still want to grow, or where we can be by persevering!
What else do you like to do?
In my free time, I like to practice music too. Sometimes I write songs, or occasionally record and produce them, but mostly I just enjoy playing around on the piano and maybe doing a little scat to some pop-fusion!
I also spend a good amount of time writing down ideas and thoughts about matching learning, quantum tech, philosophy, and just small lesson I learn in my life. You could call it journalling, but it’s really just a very long, unorganized list of thoughts. These things take up a lot of my time, but if I could I think I’d go camping most weekends! I love to hike and sit on top of mountains, build fires, and cook over them. It’s all about the small things, right?