Carlos Morillo has made some hard choices in life. The hardest was 21 years ago when he came to the USA from the Dominican Republic. When he talks about his journey, Mr. Morillo’s smile says that he made the right choice.
Mr. Morillo visited with students to share what “living in music” was like for him as a 6-year-old singer and today. After growing up in an average family of modest means, he became a teacher and singer, but his desire to better himself drove him to emigrate. He followed his dreams to the USA but initially found only homesickness and hard work in a factory. Mr. Morillo struggled, succeeded, and today enjoys singing, playing the guitar, and playing the piano to the delight of all within earshot. His presentation included beautiful songs that he wrote and recorded.
Mr. Morillo gave good advice to students. He said “follow your true vocation” but “continue your education AND your music. Don’t stop your education early for music.” Further he said that musically, he works to “be a visionary, not a conformist.” He talked about how vocalists use and develop their “instrument.” Certainly, Mr. Morillo is a musical visionary and an original. Panthers learned valuable information about music careers and personal perseverance from his visit.