Day 497: 5 Minute Freewrite: Friday - Prompt: in the club
If only I had a nickel for every time I ever said "I can't sing"!
One day in my fifties I decided to learn to sing. I took lessons from a few people for a few years and got so that I could sing a bit, but only where I could not be heard by anyone other than my teacher at the time. Oh, and the few times I fell on my face auditioning for musicals.
It was definitely time to step it up a major notch: to sing in public. I would go to open mics intending to sing, but get intimidated. I finally managed to get up at one and accompany another singer: I remember being astonished when I could hear my single note soaring above all the rest of the noise the band was making! This was the very first time I sang into a mic. It shocked me so much I could not sing another note that night, or again for a long time.
A wonderful jazz club opened in my neighboring town of Nyack NY, Maureen's Jazz Cellar. It's run by a fabulously cool couple, Brianne Higgins and David Budway, who named it after David's deceased sister Maureen Budway. I went regularly to the Tuesday open mic (the best open mic in the world) for nearly a year just to listen. Then the fateful day arrived: I got up to a mic for the second time in my life and sang "Beginning to See the Light" accompanied by David, who is the most supportive piano accompanist you can imagine. I was shaking uncontrollably afterwards and had to have a shot of tequila. Brianne gave that to me on the house. No comment on how I sounded.
The house drummer Frankie suggested I take lessons with David, which I have been doing for a couple of years. I work for two months on a song before I feel ready to give it a public go.
And now when I get up to sing in the club, I sometimes rock the house!
This is my entry for @mariannewest freewrite challenge: https://steempeak.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-497-5-minute-freewrite-friday-prompt-in-the-club-1551405316
I wrote a similar story, not a freewrite, about my experiences as a writer: https://steempeak.com/freewritehouse/@owasco/reflections-on-my-adoption-by-freewritehouse
Note to self: remember to keep it simple or you go way over five minutes!
The image is of me, singing at Maureen's Jazz Cellar, and taken by Paul Schwartz.
That is fantastic!!! Rock the house!! yay!!
This is a true depiction of practice makes perfect.
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You might like the single prompt https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/weekend-freewrite-3-2-2019-single-prompt-option
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To go pro with us.
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/weekend-freewrite-322019-part-1-the-first-sentence-1551501574
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Do have a nice weekend.
Hello @owasco, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!
Thank you! I've followed you and hope to learn more about what you do.