Singing…Part 3

I didn’t return to college after my first year.  Instead I started working as a cocktail waitress.  The bar I worked in had a band.  It was always my fantasy to get up and sing with the band.

One night about 30 years ago I was at the “Oxbow Pavillion” with a friend (Elaine) and the band played “House of the Rising Sun”.  I told Elaine that I could sing that song better than they did.  The band was getting ready to take a break, so I went to the bathroom before the rush.  When I got back, the lead singer of the band was at our table.  That isn’t unusual as I was friends with most of the band members.  When the band got back up on stage, they said “We have a special guest in the house, that we want to call up to sing for you.”  And they called me up to the stage.  Elaine had a huge smirk on her face.  So I got up there and they played House of the Rising Sun again.  When the song was over, they asked me to sing another one.  They said that I did very well.  I told them I didn’t know the words to any songs and they told me to look through their cheat sheets.  I saw they had “Oh Darling” (Beatles) so I asked them to do that one.  Unfortunately, having no self-confidence, I wasn’t singing very loudly and people on the dance floor kept yelling “We can’t hear you!” and no matter what the band did, my voice wouldn’t carry.

When I got back to my seat Elaine said she told the lead singer what I said.

That was my first experience with singing with a band.

At the bar where I worked, sometimes some of the members of the band would stay after closing and just jam.  One time they invited me to come up and jam with them.  One of the songs they were working on was “Play That Funky Music, White Boy” – it was one of my favorite songs and I knew all the words so I asked them if they would do that one.  When we were done, Penny, the lead female vocalist, said “OMG I thought that Mike was on stage with us!  You did that song really well!  You have a great vibrato!  You should be a singer!”  I wanted to believe her, but I still thought it was a lucky song, and that normally I sound horrible.

I jammed with them several times after hours, but they never called me up to sing with them when they were playing live, so I figured they had just been stroking my ego “The poor thing wants to be a singer so bad, let’s drop her a crumb or two.” when we were jamming after hours.

But that didn’t stop me from singing in the car, in the house, or anywhere where I was alone.

Singing….part 2

I went to college straight out of high school feeling cocky and sure of myself because I was one of the top  music students in high school.  After about one week, I was humbled when I realized that ALL the music majors were the top music students at their schools.

I applied for college late so didn’t have anything prepared for my musical auditions.  I wanted desperately to be a voice major instead of a clarinet major (it was so much more fun practicing singing than it was practicing clarinet).  When it came time for my voice audition, I had nothing prepared so the professor asked me to sing “My Country Tis of Thee”.  He knew me from music camp, so I think he had a pretty good idea of how I sang.  However, I couldn’t remember the words to the song, so I flubbed it up pretty badly.  I was auditioning for private voice lessons.  Anyone who didn’t qualify would be assigned to class voice.  I was assigned to class voice.  I had hoped for private lessons but expected class.  And my expectations were met.

I signed up for class voice.  At the beginning of the class, the teacher said “Your grade in this class will be based solely on talent.  I can’t grade you on your effort if you can’t sing.”  And she assured everyone that as long as they did come to class every day and showed some effort, nobody would get below a C in the class.  So I figured I’d get a C.

Throughout the course of the semester, she often commented that I had a “pretty voice”.  But she never said anything like “you stay on key well” so I assumed she was just stroking my ego – the way a parent says “good job!” to their child the first time they pee in their potty instead of their training pants.

At the end of the semester, we had to sing a song in front of the class, for a grade – this was our final exam.  Then we had to set up 10-minute appointments with the teacher to discuss our grades.

I showed up for my appointment perfectly content to be told I was getting a C in the class.  She told me she was giving me an A and said she didn’t understand why I was put in class voice instead of private voice.  I told her about my audition.

But I still didn’t believe I could sing.  At least not solo.  I figured I could blend in well with a choir, but when it came to singing alone, forget it.  And forget it I did for the next 30 years.  It didn’t stop me from singing in the car or whenever I was alone.  But I knew I would never have the nerve, nor the talent, to sing solo.

Or would I?

To be continued…

I think I’ve always wanted to be a singer.  I remember before I even started school singing along with “We’ll sing in the sunshine” when it was on the radio, as well as “Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer” while my mom was cleaning house.  The first song I learned all the words to was “Downtown” by Petula Clark.  I also learned all the words to Tommy James and the Shondell’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”.

We had music all through school.  A visiting teacher (actually, it was THE music teacher, who taught in all of the elementary schools) would come once a week and we would learn new songs.  Some are still with me.  One of my favorites was Wayfaring Stranger.

When I got into junior high school, I was too shy to take chorus class.  We only got two electives, and because I was expected to stay in band (I started playing the clarinet in 5th grade) I always ended up taking Home Ec as my other elective.

Starting in 9th grade, I joined the school chorus.  I had always loved singing, and as long as I didn’t have to audition I was okay.

In my senior year, our annual Musical was “Fiddler on the Roof”.  I wanted to be in it so badly that I decided to take singing lessons.  I signed up at the Conservatory of Music that was in our town.  But I really had no self-confidence.  My voice teacher kept saying “Pretend you’re in a huge auditorium and your boyfriend is in the upper balcony way at the back of the theater, and you are singing to him.”  My only thought was that I’d be too embarrassed to sing to him, so my voice would get even quieter.

Evidently, I sang around my sisters a lot.  For my recital, I chose Gershwin’s “Summertime”.  A couple years ago I did it for karaoke and both of my sisters were sitting at the table singing along.  I asked them how they knew the words.  They said I sang it all the time when we were kids.  I don’t remember it.  I thought I was too embarrassed to sing in front of anyone!

So, I did try out for Fiddler.  My stage fright kept me from getting any kind of significant part, though I was cast as one of the villagers (with no speaking parts.)  My confidence level went down even further.  But that still didn’t stop me from singing.  I would sing in the car, or anywhere, as long as I was alone.  I so wanted to be a  good singer, but was certain that I sang badly, and off key.

Still, I kept singing.

You may remember me as NotMarthaStewart, and you may also know me as SherylM.  I’ve changed my name to Kallioph – the Greek Muse of Song (what else?)

This will be my public blog. It will not be restricted to just Xanga members.  I’ll probably use this blog mostly for answering Question of the Day, or maybe even posting questions.

Or whatever.

Check back soon!

I am probably going to change the name on this account and make it my public account.