Houston soul artist Simone Gundy visits the Music and the Human Experience class for a discussion and performance on Nov. 3. Jackson Haltom\/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nStudents asked Gundy about her musical theatre experience and what it\u2019s like to pursue music as a full-time career. One student asked what her greatest achievement has been thus far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI get to do music full-time,\u201d Gundy said. \u201cFor the past six years, I have not had a 9-to-5 regular job, and that is truly a success to me. I never wanted to have cameras in my face. The only thing I ever asked for was I wanted to be able to provide for my family and be comfortable and do what I love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gundy is raising four children alongside her husband, James O\u2019Neal, who is also a singer-songwriter. Her oldest son is in high school and wants to one day play in the National Football League. Gundy said she believes she has helped him see big dreams are achievable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She shared that her son had an SAT prompt he was working on that said: \u201cDo people generally go for the money in their career or do they go for what they love?\u201d She asked him what his answer was, and he replied that people should go after what they love. If people only pursue money, at some point it will run out, and they won\u2019t have any love for their choice of work, he told Gundy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was beyond filled with joy,\u201d she recalled. \u201cBecause I would like to think that I instilled that in him, to let him know that this isn\u2019t a mainstream career, but you can do it. Maybe not everybody makes it to the NFL or on \u2018The Voice,\u2019 but I did it and he can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gundy performed two songs during the class with keyboard accompaniment from Rob Hitchcock, general manager at Grand Stafford Theater. They played \u201cDiamonds\u201d by Rihanna and The Zutons\u2019 \u201cValerie,\u201d popularized by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson. She said her original song \u201cNever More,\u201d which she wrote with her husband, will be available to stream in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rob Hitchcock, general manager at Grand Stafford Theater, joined Simone Gundy on keyboards for her class performance. Jackson Haltom\/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThough her time on \u201cThe Voice\u201d was \u201ca great experience,\u201d Gundy said she wished she had shown more of her personality on camera. She said the short clips depicted her as shy and quiet, which she believes is not who she truly is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she continues her passion full-time, Gundy said musical theatre is where she thrives. She told the students that her dream is to be on Broadway. Following the lecture, she said she hopes students pursue their own dreams, even if they have doubts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe voice in your head that falls in love with your work, that is you,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything else is some defense mechanism we built up so we don\u2019t feel bad when somebody doesn\u2019t like our creations, and they are not met with the same enthusiasm that we would like them to be. I want them to know, don\u2019t pick yourself apart.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Singer-songwriter and actress Simone Gundy visited students, discussed her musical theatre career and performed two songs in a Performance Studies class on Nov. 3. The Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts co-presented a concert by …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":18121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[58,144],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Simone Gundy Shares Musical Theatre Experiences During Performance Studies Class Appearance - Texas A&M University College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n