Memoirs of a Wedding Singer

Written by Ellen M. DuBois


It's been several years since I leftrepparttar band I was with.

As I reflect upon my life --the Good,repparttar 131420 Bad, andrepparttar 131421 Ugly, (does that mean I'm getting old?), I look upon my experiences withrepparttar 131422 band with fondness and know that those memories will stay with me forever.

Music is in my blood. Every fiber of my being somehow has music attached to it. I think it's a DNA thing. Both parents are musicians and teachers, both grandmothers were entertainers, my Nana a piano player back inrepparttar 131423 days of silent films and my Grammy a Broadway dancer. Seems to me that I wasn't left with much of a choice inrepparttar 131424 matter!

When I was 30, (okay, now I'm dating myself), I joined what's referred to as a GB (General Business) band. Our primary function was weddings. That's how it started. Forrepparttar 131425 first year we did weddings that were booked prior to my joining. Lucky for us these folks didn't choose another band when they discovered thatrepparttar 131426 singer they thought would be there was in fact going to be me. The singer they'd booked fromrepparttar 131427 video tape had left and I was taking her place.

The weddings were fun. I loved singingrepparttar 131428 bride and groom's special songs and somehow added to their day. I liked beingrepparttar 131429 emcee. I enjoyed having to be upbeat and "on" even on those days when I felt "off". It was good therapy! Oh, and let's not forgetrepparttar 131430 singing part. Yes, that's my heart and to me one ofrepparttar 131431 best forms of self expression going.

As I think back, I suppose I likedrepparttar 131432 attention, too. I didn't want too much, but when someone came up to me on my break and said how wonderfulrepparttar 131433 music was, it felt good.

The band and I had excellent chemistry. Chemistry is there or it isn't -- you can't force it just as with any relationship. I think I laughed more on my gigs than at any other time. We'd joke on stage orrepparttar 131434 keyboard player would make "funny" sounds with his keys while I was inrepparttar 131435 middle of a song, TRYING to make me laugh and sometimes succeeding. Imagine singing "Crazy" while "burp" sounds are going off inrepparttar 131436 background! Boy, did I have to bite my tongue a lot! Sometimes, it didn't work and I actually lost it during a song. Oh, when that happenedrepparttar 131437 entire band was in stitches and all I could do was muster uprepparttar 131438 self control needed to keep going, hoping thatrepparttar 131439 folks dancing didn't notice. Sometimes, they did, and they laughed at us having such a good time! But, don't let that give yourepparttar 131440 wrong impression. We were definitely professional. A little laughter didn't take that away.

Whenever a wedding ended, I got a great feeling whenrepparttar 131441 bride and groom thanked us for doing a great job. What a feeling of satisfaction that was! Even with aching feet, a tired body and a worn voice, I was uplifted by their comments.

Now, you may be saying, "Hey, if this was so great, why did she leave?"

I say, "Good question."

Life is change -- change is life. We finished outrepparttar 131442 wedding bookings forrepparttar 131443 year and began doing club work more and more and got a few wedding bookings from that. Things were a bit unsteady when our guitar player left; sorepparttar 131444 leader ofrepparttar 131445 band held off on doing a promotional wedding video. Now, that's important if you want more wedding gigs. When prospective brides and grooms go into a function hall and want to see videos of bands, they want to see who is withrepparttar 131446 band NOW, not 2 years ago. Otherwise, they have to go torepparttar 131447 club whererepparttar 131448 band is playing to hear how they really sound. That can be a slight inconvenience, especially if they lived a distance from where we were playing.

Characteristics To Help Find The Work Of Your Dreams

Written by Gloria Dunn


"Why am I not happy?" "Why is life a struggle?" "Why doesn't work, work?" We probe our soul with questions like these, but we will never hearrepparttar answers if we don't take time off in our hectic days to listen. Unless we slow down and take a deep breath, we cannot hearrepparttar 131417 subtle responses that come from within.

As we get older,repparttar 131418 questions aboutrepparttar 131419 nature and quality of life come up. By then, though, we are so mired inrepparttar 131420 car payments andrepparttar 131421 mortgage andrepparttar 131422 daily routine, and we are so used to looking for answers outside ourselves, that we fail to recognizerepparttar 131423 simple truth: We need to find enough quiet space so that we can listen torepparttar 131424 answers locked deep inside. We need to stop and let them surface.

Once we take that time, we can reflect on all we have done and all we hope to do, and decide if we are livingrepparttar 131425 life we want or if, instead, it was programmed for us by others. Only then can we listen to our own voice, our own intuition, our own inner wisdom. Only than can we tap into our inherent skills, talents and inner creativity, which formrepparttar 131426 work for which we were individually designed. Then we will truly reaprepparttar 131427 rewards of joy and fulfillment as well as a paycheck.

Afterward, when we go back to our busy life, we find that we are whole beings again, not walking machines. If we have chosen to take a break from our careers,repparttar 131428 work we choose when we return will be right and satisfying.

Regardless of how we use it, time goes by and then it's gone. The combined power of every ruler inrepparttar 131429 world could not change that by decree. So, inrepparttar 131430 end,repparttar 131431 only thing that counts is how we usedrepparttar 131432 time. Is what we're doing meaningful enough that if we were still doing it 10 or 15 years from now, we would be satisfied with that?

If you just keep goingrepparttar 131433 way you are, ask yourself what you will miss and how it will affect you andrepparttar 131434 ones you love. If you are losing some of your spirit every year, what kind of husband, wife, father, mother or friend will you end up as after half a lifetime goes by? If you need to take time off to stoprepparttar 131435 downward momentum, isn't it worth it?

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