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[HANASHIR:16465] Re: Ah... the double-edged sword
- From: Sheri Pacitto <jspac...>
- Subject: [HANASHIR:16465] Re: Ah... the double-edged sword
- Date: Thu 08 Jan 2004 16.27 (GMT)
Bravo Roz!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ros Schwartz" <ros (at) hn(dot)dancinginthewind(dot)ca>
To: <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 3:06 PM
Subject: [HANASHIR:16442] Re: Ah... the double-edged sword
> Let me give my *strong vote against discouragement*. (With all due
> respect to Fran, with whom I have had many wonderful - and supportive -
> conversations.) When I started on this road, there were many who
> discouraged me. "You write songs, you can't sing, why try to learn at
> this point in your life, when you already have a perfectly good career?"
> Because: ***if I don't try, I'll never know if I could***. A singing
> teacher told me: "You _can_ reach the soprano range, it's there in your
> voice, you just have to learn how to do it". She was right: with
> training, my range has increased from high C to high G. I'm not "there"
> yet, but I can hold a steady tone for much longer than I could, and my
> sound gets better month by month.
>
> I learned little from those who pointed out my faults. (And yes, there
> were many.) I was - and am - fully aware of the flaws and weaknesses in
> my voice, and my performance, and etc., etc., etc. It doesn't help to
> be "informed" of what I already know. What has helped, and sometimes
> stunned me, were the teachers who said: "Yes, you _can_ do this".
> Me??? Perhaps someday, on my hopefully-soon-to-be-website, I will write
> a letter of public appreciation to the many people whose compliments and
> encouragement supported me when I was sure I could _not_ do this. A
> small example: Rick Calvert said, "My fingers used to freeze too, when
> I started out playing guitar publicly". Rick??? who now plays as though
> he was born with a guitar in his hands??? If he too had incapacitating
> stage fright way-back-when, well then maybe there was hope for me. (And
> there was.)
>
> And - even if I had never been able to improve - in my home
> congregation, I am one of the very few people who is willing to
> songlead, and to sing in public. Even a songleader with a poor-quality
> voice can keep the group singing together in rhythm, and on the same
> note at the same time, which is better than having no leader at all. In
> contrast, I have been to services where the operatic intricacies sung by
> a cantor with a beautiful voice discouraged anyone from trying to sing
> along with her.
>
> The key question is: What are you trying to do, and what is needed to
> accomplish it? If you are asking people to pay $100 a ticket to see you
> sing solos, you'd better have an absolutely beautiful voice or a
> stunning performance. If, on the other hand, you are trying to help
> people experience a spiritual connection at a service, the emotional
> expression you communicate may be more important than the technical
> quality of your sound.
>
> If someone wants to do something they are not very good at, I would say:
> try it and see. Even if it turns out that your goals outreach the
> physical capacities of the body and mind you were given ... you will
> learn, you will grow, nothing in life is ever wasted.
>
> - Ros
>
>
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