How did I get into singing?
On my grandmother's knee. As a baby. She would move my arms and legs, to "with your feet you tap tap tap.."etc.
Later my sister and I had voice training from a fiercely ambitious old lady who used to sing on a cruise liner. She entered us into competitions, and more or less planned our careers for us. Of course we rebelled. I became effecrively silent for twenty years (only singing to the children and the dog) and my sister stopped completely, apart from the odd hymn at church. A shame really, that quite close friends literally went to the grave not even knowing I could sing at all.
My daughter got into musical theatre, and I began to coach her a little until I could find her a teacher. She was getting good, and people were saying things like my role was to support her endeavours. Meanwhile, I was stuck without a career of any sort, feeling depressed and worthless, as I'd been at home caring for my autistic son all this time. Eventually something must have erupted inside me, and I went to Stephanie's voice coach and asked her to teach me. She asked what I wanted to get out of lessons, and I said I wanted to make money. She wasn't phased by this at all, she just said we'd work to that end.
As I began to recover my lost and forgotten technique, I felt I was coming back to life. But it was hard to get anyone interested in taking me on. Young people have networks and all sorts of support when they're starting out. I suppose I could have joined a choir, but I wanted to sing solo from the outset - a ridiculous ego, I know. With more than half my life gone, I couldn't afford to wait around! It took one of the biggest acts of courage of my life to start busking: doing Broadway Standards at first, but in time I was performing all manner of Classical music as well. I do reasonably well, shoppers and tourists like it, people hear me and book me for parties etc. If anyone gets stage fright, they should try standing up, uninvited, without a mike, in an open street, and effectively say, "Well here I am THIS IS WHAT I DO" - a sort of sink-or-swim cure for nerves.
Besides busking, at the moment I'm working with a guitarist on a jazzy/cabaret type of act - a new departure for me, and quite exciting: a much freer style of singing, and a new learning challenge.
My husband thinks what I do is great. Unfortunately the rest of my family is very damning; my mother-in-law says that she is devastated, I have dishonoured my dead mother's memory and no one will marry my daughter as a consequence of my busking. At least the audiences I get on the street are more appreciative. Sometimes when she's at home my daughter joins me: we do operatic duets, which are brilliant fun. We haven't told Grandmama.
I hope this singing forum continues.
Sarah
I've been glad I did too, only I wish I had done it years previous like you are.
- what have I done wrong (it really IS true!)
