This was going to be an email to my mailing list.
There are lots of people on my mailing list who I don’t know and I want to know them. I want to know about them and their relationship with singing and music.
Mailing lists can feel very impersonal but I’m very much a person, (very much not a corporate entity), and I love meeting new people.
If you have a couple of minutes I’d love to know a bit more about you. I have a couple of questions but feel free to tell me other things about you. I really want to know.
- Is singing a part of your life?
- If yes, what sort of singing do you do?
- What sort of music do you love? What music makes you happy/sad/moved?
- Which singers do you love? Why do you love them?
- Is there any way that I can help you with your singing by musing about something that’s on your mind?
I’ll answer first.
1 – Yes. I teach singing most days of the week. I don’t sing myself as much as I would like to. My kids are almost constantly making music too. My youngest plays everything (loudly) and my eldest sings very loudly although he doesn’t seem to know he can be heard.
2 – Sometimes I sing through songs my students have brought that I liked.
My favourite things to sing are either my own songs or Sara Bareilles’ album Amidst the Chaos, I always come back to these. Check it out on Youtube here I’m a total sucker for a lovely melody. I have a load of songs saved on Scribd/Everand that I love singing.
Other times I’m hit by the muse and I write a new song. And other times I “work” on learning the piano parts to songs I’ve written, slowly trying to remember the chords.
3 – I love music that makes me want to dance or I find deeply moving. I adored the music from Standing at The Sky’s Edge and have played Richard Hawley’s songs from the show most days since.
If I’m feeling sad I listen to this song and it usually helps Be More Kind – Frank Turner
To get a sense of my taste check out my current playlist that I use to lift or calm me. My Spotify Playlist.
Do you have a playlist of songs you love?
4- I always say that my favourite singer is Liane Carroll because she’s such a great singer and also so authentic in her delivery. Check her out here. Liane Carroll being epic.
In a complete contrast I love Camille O’Sullivan for how raw and wild she is. Check out Camille O’Sullivan here. I could add so many more singers. I have loved Regina Spektor for a long time, Kate Bush changed my life, so many others.
5 – I already muse about the stuff I muse about (you can see it on my blogs pages) but I do hope to hear from you. What are your singing related questions? Is there anything I can muse about to help you or answer or just respond to?