My agenda, and I do have one

I like to think that I'm an evangelist for singing. I think everyone can and should do it. It's good for the body and soul. And so I got a kick out of this message from a high school friend who has been following my adventures in singing on Facebook and here on this blog.

"You inspired me to take voice lessons! My teacher teaches at Belmont and has lots of kids for voice and piano. He's also a Jewish Cantor! Maybe I'll learn some good Jewish songs, although he suggested we practice "Wondrous Love" which fits best at Easter. And our Bluegrass Band finished our CD and it's available but not in stores. Send me you address and I'll send you a copy."

Along the same lines, a friend and fellow cast member in The Wizard of Oz production this past summer was apprehensive about a presentation he was planning to make to a big dental conference in Hawaii in November 2010. I told him about my singing lessons and how they helped build confidence in public speaking, too. I saw him a few weeks ago at the Chamber of Commerce Christmas Bazaar and he said the presentation had gone beautifully. He thanked me. He had take my advice and enrolled in some singing lessons in order to prepare for the event.

BlesSings of the season

Singing with Laura Owenby at church, December 19, 2010

It is a treat to be singing so frequently this Christmas. A bit stressful, but a blessing nonetheless. Here is the rundown:

• "Were You There on that Christmas Night?" duet with Laura Owenby at church, 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services, 4th Sunday of Advent, 12.19
• Performances 12.20 with Elizabeth Crittenden and Courtney Johnston of Eleanor LaForge's Christmas music and traditional carols at Magnolia Hills assisted living center and Habersham Home nursing home
• "Some Children See Him," accompanied by Joe Whelchel on guitar, opening solo for both Christmas Eve services at church, rehearsal 12.21 and 12.23
• 12.21--rehearsal for Frank Loesser show in January

If someone had told me three years ago that I would be singing this much--in public, no less!--during Christmas celebrations 2010, I would have said they were crazy. Now, I am so grateful for the adventure and for the opportunities to perform and learn. I wish I had done better at the 8 a.m. performance of "Were You There ..." with Laura. My voice cracked--I hate that! I had some a.m. phlegm issues that caused additional jitters. I didn't open wide enough for the note I cracked on and wasn't supporting it sufficiently. Thank goodness I have learned enough to know what I did wrong and to see that it didn't happen again for the 10 a.m. service. I was so grateful that performance went without a hitch. I need to keep reminding myself that I am still a newbie at this and thrilled to be singing with seasoned performers like Laura. On to new adventures later today!

But not before posting some comments just in:

"Such a treat to be with you and receive your gift of music this morning. SO beautiful.... "

"I enjoyed your singing and wanted to tell you that. I do enjoy the choir and am so thankful it's there for us. We are lucky to not only have a church that loves us but also one that has the music it has and the people!!!"

"The duet was really lovely. Thank you."

"You have a beautiful voice."

Lessons from Loesser

Frank Loesser smoked three packs of cigarettes a day, wore crisp, laundered shirts, Shalimar cologne and glassy green pomade in his hair. He also wrote beautiful music and some of the sharpest, funniest lyrics ever sung on a stage. Quite a package, you say? If his personal style is out of date, his music definitely isn't.

I've enjoyed reading about him in preparation for Heart and Soul: Sautee Celebrates the Music of Frank Loesser, a Sautee Supper Club show in which I will perform with buddies Laura Owenby, C.B. Henson and Barbara Luhn the evening of January 23, 2011, at the Sautee Nacoochee Community Center. (Mark your calendar now! It is going to be a great show.)

I like this advice to singers from one of Loesser's letters. The guy didn't mince words. "Don't sustain notes--any notes, I don't care if it's grand opera you're doing--beyond the point where they stop making sense, or beyond the safety limit of your wind or nervous system. Breathe your head off any time you want. Don't sing over-long phrases in one breath, because even a Kenny Baker can't do it without making the next passage suffer from lack of control. It beautifies nothing except your own private opinion of your vocal prowess--which is not what the public wants. They want entertainment."

What is your favorite Frank Loesser song?