It was very exciting to try out, the stadium was empty except for a few workers and the other acts trying out. But the lines in the morning were long and all the acts waited their turn to take the floor. Even though the stadium was empty playing through the sound system of a venue that large was exhilarating. It was so quick and organized when it was our turn to go we walked out on a protective floor covering on the basketball court plugged in the instruments and started to play. There were some technical difficulties as would be expected for novices, in fact the band ahead of us couldn’t get their guitar to work so we loaned ours to them, but then the set up was wrong causing us to have no bass during the audition. Also Natalie fought back her tears while the sound guys struggled to give voice to her keyboards. But the band played on and Haley sang her heart out! Many groups tried out that day they were looking for halftime entertainment and National Anthem Singers. Haley sang the National Anthem that morning and did awesome. We really thought she had a chance at securing a spot for that honor and were really proud of the band for getting out there and doing their thing too. We knew it would be tough for the band to get a spot being that they were just starting out! The Hornets sent out emails notifying the acts if they were chosen and Haley was one of 4 acts chosen to compete in Charlotte’s Got Talent Kids Edition. Emily Ladd events coordinator was extremely helpful guiding us through the process, but in the letter they stated that they loved the bands performance but for this competition Haley would have to sing without them, the logistics of the band set up just wasn’t right for this quick halftime show.
At first we were disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to sing the national anthem. We really thought she was a shoe in for that. But then we realized that this opportunity to be one of four semi-fianlist meant that she could potentially win $2K in scholarship money if she won the contest. So that made it even more exciting as she prepared. Song choice was the toughest part of the journey. She went through every song she knew and ended up choosing to sing the same song she auditioned with for the simi-final round. We liked the fact that she was confident singing it, everyone knows the song, and felt like hitting your best shot was a fit for basketball. But choosing the song to sing for finals was much more involved. Haley called upon many folks in the music industry with whom she has come into contact. Connie Cooper at Ballentyne School of Music helped by introducing us to Walt Stewart, a local music professional who advised her to sing what she is passionate about. Ernie Shepard lead singer of Trial By Fire, a Journey Tribute Band let us bounce selections off of him and even voted when the time came on Twitter! Haley’s piano instructor encouraged us to work with Charity Helms, a local singer who ultimately helped us pick the song Wings by Lil Mix. When Haley first heard the song she loved it, and the message was uplifting and it is a feel good song. Charity worked with Haley to develop her stage presence. Up to the end we were concerned it just wasn’t well known enough to excite the Hornets crowd. As Haley became attached to the song we realized it was the right song after all!
We talked to friends who had participated last year in the first annual competition. Charity’s son was in a band that competed and Briggs who we had met during Lake Norman’s Got Talent, who won last year were very helpful in giving us the details of what to expect when we arrived. It really helped to relax and enjoy the event instead of focusing on winning or loosing. In fact Tim Cashion, Haley’s voice instructor often says, musical talent is not a competition, is Elvis better than Frank Sinatra? Who would win in a singing contest vs. those two. That also helped to keep the focus on having fun just performing in front of such a huge crowd. Yet for kids a talent competition is often their only venue to perform. We have been so fortunate to have Bella Love, founded by Case Warnemunde that embraces musical youth and talent of all ages at Open Mic nights and Art Crawls, Tawba Walks, and 2nd Friday events in downtown Cornelius! I would have to attribute Haley’s confidence in front of a crowd to the great experiences she has had performing at these local music evenings out!
The competition was judged and there was a voting component. The Hornets Fans would have to twitter or instagram votes after the performances during the third quarter of the game. We were not told till performance day what the voting format would be. So our whole family had to learn twitter on top of Haley getting prepared for her performances.
It was our first time out to a Hornets game, Haley and her Dad went early for a sound check and got to see the backstage goings on of the game. Pictures with the HoneyBees, a catered dinner, and her very own dressing room with staff credentials were highlights. The Hornets were very organized, it made performance day run smoothly! They gave us seats to watch the game but truth be told we spent most of it counting the clock down to halftime! I thought it was extremely entertaining, they had special promotions and fun contests all throughout the game, at one they gave out Bojangles chicken and another carmel popcorn to the loudest fan or the best dancer etc. At the second game they had a pre-game autograph session that many folks lined up for! It was a great way to spend a night with the family! I thought the stadium staff was so friendly! I enjoyed the Hornets Band playing in the lobby as we were walking out! Many staff and fans recognized Haley as she was leaving and congratulated her on her performance.
The Performance was of course Haley’s favorite part. She really surprised the crowd with her big voice and her tiny stature! She was so tiny in person but on the jumbo tron she was a star! She embraced the crowd and really looked like a seasoned professional! I was so nervous I couldn’t hold the video camera, a stranger next to me took it and taped the show for me because I counldn’t stop shaking! She had no fear, she loved the experience! What an exciting opportunity!
Because part of the contest was a twitter vote we asked friends and family to try to vote even if they couldn’t be at the game. Haley’s Grandpa was so proud of her that he spent most of the game personally asking folks to support her at halftime! Some of the twitter comments even mentioned him! I was impressed with the TWC guest wi-fii system, I didn’t think it would be as good as it was. We had one person in our section download twitter while at the game just to vote for Haley! It has been fun after the game to go back and read all the twitter comments!
Another of Karl’s students Siera Runkle was also a semi-finalist. We were thrilled that we got chosen to perform on separate nights so we weren’t up against each other. We reached out to cheer her on the night before her performance and found out she was battling a tough medical issue and wasn’t even sure if she could go on. We were thrilled that she persevered and went onto win her semi-final round. We had never met but we still felt like we were on the same team since we both go to Karl’s Studio! Her dad texted us when she won and we were almost as excited as we were when Haley won her semi-final round! But that meant that the two girls would go head to head for the final round!
Pre-game of the Finals we got to meet Siera and her family and have dinner! It was so nice to finally meet them! Siera’s dad suggested both girls duets! I really wish we could have! I hope they will get a chance to sing and perform together again! At the finals halftime show there were a couple of technical glitches, the announcer mixed up who was going first but Siera kept the show going, unfortunately her microphone was not turned up and some of her song went unheard. I still feel bad for her because she did so awesome at the sound check! She is super talented with a lovely voice and can really play guitar. She could be a model one day if she doesn’t want to do music! She was someone you wouldn’t mind loosing to. We tried to focus on the goal of getting to perform twice by making the final round rather than the overall win so that Haley could enjoy the experience even if she didn’t come out on top. But Haley was up next and she really outdid herself!
When they came to our section in the fourth quarter it was like we won the lottery! They gave her a huge trophy and at the next timeout displayed her on the jumbo screen as the winner! Many hugs and tears ensued as we wrapped up the Charlotte’s Got Talent Competition! It was a blast – look for auditions next summer because if you think you would enjoy something like this you should really go out and try! My advice is to concentrate on song choice, it has to be well known and upbeat and I think a backing track has advantages in the TWC arena sound system. Thank you Charlotte Hornets for such an awesome experience! Truth be told we would pay you to do it all over again!