It's Not About Just YOU!
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As I suspected, many of you were confused by my last blog entry. "What the Heck are you saying?" seemed to be the words to express the general feeling among those of you who were kind enough to read the thing.
I know I've been coming on a little heavy lately, and that many of you may be wondering what's going with me, so I'm going to tell you right out!
My entire life has been about music, singing it, teaching, making it! And I have encountered so many singers across the globe who are about the same thing as I am... dedicated, committed, and determined to make the music a central part of their lives.
So when I wrote "It's Your Job", with all the crazy quotes, and "deep" thoughts, reminiscent of Stuart Smiley, (remember him? HA HA!), my intention was to encourage you, entice you, coerce you, pursuade you, even intimidate you if necessary to never give up on your singing.
It's interesting 'cause when I was editing that piece, it suddenly dawned on me that I was really writing it for my older sister, who made a decision to stop singing altogether because in her view, she's just not good enough to be heard. That is just Not Okay!! If there's a song in your heart, you MUST sing it! And I sure as Heck know it's in Hers!
I haven't always felt this way, y'know! Time was, and until very recently, I, like Simon Cowell, believed that people who can't sing, who cannot hold a pitch, should never open their mouths.
We should be spared from such dissonance, indeed cacophony in the world and allow only the "perfectly pretty" voices be heard!
Then I discovered something rather startling! I met a deaf woman whose deepest passion was to sing. And when I say passion, I mean a burning in her heart that could never heal until she gave into it.
And with all the courage she could pull out of herself, she sang a song, recorded herself and posted her song online for all to hear.
And I heard it! And I broke down sobbing because it was so beautiful! And what made it beautiful was not all the perfectly placed notes and dulcit tones of her voice, for they weren't perfect, but it was the sheer joy in her expression that you simply could NOT deny or escape from.
This woman and many other people who courageously aspire to change their life experience through an artistic expression do not only change their own lives, but others as well. I AM changed!
Now, there are many of you who CAN hear, and WHAT you hear from your mouth, you are not happy with, so you've decided to quit, and do something else. And if you're smiling when you say that, (pahdnuh), then I wish you well on your new journey!
But if your reason for quitting is more like,
"If I can't win Idol, then I'll just go back to school and learn a trade where I can make a bunch of money", or like, "If I don't win this particular game, I'm taking my marbles and going home."
Well, I don't know about you, but that does not sound like a winner to me.
There's a much bigger picture out there singers. And YES! I call ALL of you on this list a singer, even the ones who don't believe they can sing...but you CAN! And you MUST!
Do you guys want a better life than the one you've got right now? A better world? More kindness? More joyfulness? More Peace? How 'bout more peace?
Then DO WHAT YOU LOVE, SINGERS! See the bigger picture....PLEASE! We're all part of the larger life...you could even say that we've each got a part to play in the grand scheme of things. To do those things that make us happy and to share our gifts...PERIOD! End of Story!
We can provide you with all the tools you need to share you music; backing tracks, sheet music, instruments to play on, and instruction.
I'm almost sure that you agree with me, but I can hear you saying things like, "Well that sounds fine and good, but I deal with reality! I got bills to pay, obligations!
I'm too old to be chasing rainbows".
And I'm not suggesting that you rearrange your entire existence and become a troubador, guys!
Why does it have to be all or nothing? Why can't you just love to sing and allow yourself that pleasure? Does it have to be a record deal or quit?
A Broadway Show or quit? Do you think my deaf friend thinks that way? Did Marlie Matlin think about the limitations when she went on "Dancing With the Stars" with the whole world watching?
I wish I could get you guys to realize that it's not about just YOU! Your love of singing, or of anything really...it's YOUR LOVE that can touch others, and have a ripple effect that is healing!
I want to tell you a little story that I read just yesterday, a fairy tale, I guess...about the heroine who went to get living water to bring back to life someone near and dear to her.
The living water was on top of a mountain. Whoever wanted to get it had to climb the mountain without turning back, even for a moment.
If she turned her head back, she would turn into a stone and well...game over. The voices other climbers of the mountain had heard were horrifying, terrifying, and warning, compelling her/him to turn back. So far no one could resist them.
She was determined to succeed in her quest. To minimize the risk of succumbing to the voices and turning her head, she plugged her ears and proceeded up the mountain that was covered with stones, without paying attention to horrifying voices, noises and threats because she did not hear them.
Finally, she reached the top of the mountain and got the living water. When she was going back she sprinkled some of the living water on the stones, which immediately turned back into people who over the centuries tried to get to the living water but, frightened by the voices, turned their heads and turned into stones.
So, she had not only achieved her own goal but she also brought many people back to life.
'Til next time, Singers!
Sin[g]cerely,Chrys
P.S. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please pass it on to your friends. Just be sure, you include the copyrights. Many thanks, Singers!
(Copyrights property of Chrys Page and Sing Your Life Enterprises)
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1 comment:
Carol, from New Jersey, couldn't sign in so she asked me to post this response for her. Here it is:
"Hi Chrys: I just cannot seem to get on to the Blog no matter what I try so I am sending you this by e-mail. First of all, hope your uncle is doing better or did he go on to his great reward? Anyway, I have a great article written by a wonderful priest about service to others. It is rather lengthy, but a very short excerpt is very pertinent to your discussion today. In short, he says to make love to the song!! Isn't that terrific? Furthermore, he says, a bad singer on stage makes love to himself; a more mature singer makes love to his audience; and a really mature singer makes love to the song. Forget about yourself, and eventually forget about your audience so that you and your song are not about yourself, your image, and your need to prove yourself but about God. Just thought that you might like this description as much as I did, Chrys. It sort of gave me goose pimples. In short, singing is analogous to service to others which it is really. I never stopped to think about it in that manner. Hope all is well with you, Chrys. Love, Carol"
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