We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vincent Hale a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Vincent thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

I took a huge leap of faith and moved to New York City in August for 2015.

That summer, I had performed as Grasshopper in James and the Giant Peach, Jim in Big River and Gilbert in Hairspray at McLeod Summer Playhouse in Carbondale, Illinois. During that production season, I became very close with a fellow actor, Diane Taveau. She was basically the mother hen so everyone flocked to her but she was also really cool and down to earth. We bonded as we shared our faith, as we also attended the same church.

I had a benefit recital to raise funds to support my move, however, she wasn’t able to attend. Instead, she committed to send me $100 a month for the first year of my stay. Her generosity floored me. She believed in me more than I could even believe in myself. She understood the trials and tribulations that one would face while making an effort to create art. I truly appreciated that she would invest into my personal and professional well-being. There were not stipulations on how I was expected to spend the money, she just wanted to make sure I had it. Like clockwork, the funds hit my account on the first of every month. I used it for a myriad of expenses, including but not limited to laundry, metro cards, food, utilities, auditions subscriptions, rehearsal space and accompanist fees.

In that moment and as I reflect on that time, I felt loved, seen, valued and supported on a different level. It reminds me of the kindness and decency of humanity when we are surrounded by so much indifference for the well-fare of others. It charges me to support others in my community, without looking for something in return. I love Diane because she’s awesome but also because she loves me!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Vincent Hale is a Chattanooga Native, Educator, Musician and Yogi. He is a proud alum of Stillman College (Bachelor of Arts: Music), Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Master of Music: Opera/Music Theatre), and the University of Notre Dame (Master of Arts: Educational Leadership).

He serves as the Dean of Fine Arts and Director of the Men’s Ensemble at his alma mater, Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts. He graduated from CCA in 2008 and was blessed to perform as a Choo Choo Kid, locally, nationally and abroad. In his role of DOFA, he manages the arts calendar, curriculum, and auditions process. He loves supporting the teachers on his team to ensure the students receive high quality, rigorous and engaging arts opportunities. The goal is to break down the walls between CCA and the community by inviting in master class clinicians and arts professionals to work with our students and preparing the students to step in to real world arts experiences in the local, national and global community. We offer Acting, Communications (Creative Writing & Film), Dance, Instrumental Music (Piano, Strings, and Winds & Percussion), Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre, Visual Art and Vocal Music. Vince is committed to spreading joy near and far through the power of the arts. He is dedicated to cultivating the creative minds of students and pedagogical practices of educators. As an educator and coach, he is committed to providing teachers and leaders with resources to create culturally responsive and psychologically safe school environments. Hale is a certified Yoga and Social Emotional Learning Facilitator through Breathe for Change. He is dedicated to recruiting and retaining male educators of color by decreasing burnout through utilizing adult SEL and mindfulness tools. He gets to practice this work through Hamilton County’s new initiative MTOC (Male Teachers of Color).

Vincent is very active in the Chattanooga community. Most recently, he was seen at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre as Mista in The Color Purple, Musical Director for Something Rotten and will grace the stage again as himself in Ain’t Misbehavin’. He was also the Musical Director for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at the Colonnade. He teaches group and private yoga classes, as well as group High Intensity Interval Training classes at Nothing But Sweat. He is the worship leader at East Ridge United Methodist Church and attend Olivet Nation.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Everyone should read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz 1. Be impeccable with your word- “Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or gossip about others.”
2. Don’t Take Anything Personal- This is the one that I resonate with the most. Growing up the only child, I’ve always strived to have close friends. However, I didn’t really learn how to process when those friends were upset with me or had other things going on that didn’t have anything to do with me. In the book he says, “Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality. When you are immune to the opinions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.”
3. Don’t Make Assumptions- ” Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drams.”
4. Always Do Your Best- ” Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse and regret.”

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I took an non-traditional track to obtain my teaching license. We were required to take the School Administrators Licensure exam as a graduation requirement for Notre Dame. To my surprise, I passed the exam on my first attempt. The dilemma was that I did not have a teaching license so I had to take 3 more tests. I passed the General Pedagogy test without a hitch but failed the two music tests. I was so disappointed because music is my thing; I already had two degrees for crying out loud. I passed the General Music test on the second attempt but still failed the Vocal Music test. Now I was really frustrated because I’m a singer first; its my bread and butter. I still did not pass it when I took it a third time. This time, I was taking no prisoners, I purchased practice tests and got a tutor. Thanks be to God, I passed it on the 4th try and became a certified teacher. This was a true testament of faith and resilience. I would not allow myself to be defeated. I rose to the occasion and eventually claimed what was rightfully mine.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Thee_MrSuave
• Facebook: Vincent Hale
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-hale-50b1083a/

Image Credits
Xavier Marshall Jennifer Cass