A Song for Everything

Well its 2013....Happy New Year!!! I hope that this finds you well and that you have had a wonderful start to the new year. Do you make resolutions? or do you believe you will just break them? I have goals but not necessarily resolutions but it is always good to focus your mind and give yourself a little road map even if you get totally lost sometime there haha! I like new years, its nice to think you can have a fresh start, a clean slate and to start again. I know for me and my family we would hope that 2013 is not going to be like 2012 but one doesn't know what is going to happen and really I am happy to leave that in God's hands as I know, if he wants me to go through it he will get me through it. I am feeling and praying for the people in Tassie who have started this year by losing everything they had to the fires, that was not expected but they do have their lives and I am sure will be cared for by the wonderful emergency services crews. I am praying that this ye...

So as is pretty obvious this wonderful time of year can be pretty busy for singers and performers, there's Carols by Candlelights, carols services, Christmas concerts, Carolling, end of year dinners, weddings and the list goes on (many of which being the reason I have not written for a while :p)!! Having started learning or relearning Christmas music back in September the Christmas period for me is quite a long one but luckily I do love to sing the music and about the story.  This year I did a couple of other Christmas events apart from Soul Factor Gospel Choirs annual Christmas concerts but it was fun to play with the group Brass FX on November 18th for their Christmas concert and then to do the carols at Burnside with them also.  Soul Factor's Christmas concert this year was actually two on December 8th.  We set the hall out in a cabaret style with green and red tablecloths, bows and christmas lights and presented the entertainment while our audiences enjoyed nibbles...

Today I am doing something new. I am teaching a session at the SA Occupational Therapy Combined State & Country Forum on how singing is good for wellbeing. Did you know this? I am sure all those friends out there who are singers and musical theatre performers know it and most people know how music is good for our wellbeing whether we are a musician or not.  What I found interesting is actually looking at it and putting the feelings and benefits into words. For as long as I can remember, I have loved to sing, when feeling down I would put on favourite music and sing along. Or when I felt the situation needed it, sing a soundtrack because just like in the movies, music does enhance a situation, and there is nothing like losing yourself singing at the top of your voice into your hairbrush while dancing like a lunatic......c'mon you can't deny it ;) So I have had to look at songs that make people happy and that are about happiness and wellbeing and how to showcase that to a ...

I know we try to deny it but Christmas is only 3 months away!! Isn't that crazy? It's always funny to start learning Christmas music in September but as a singer you have to start early :) which to me is fabulous because I love singing Christmas music, listening to Christmas music and shopping to Christmas music.  I know I might be a little Christmas crazy but apart from the amazing story of Christ's birth there is also the magic of that time of year. So some of my favourite Christmas carols/songs are: O Holy Night Angels we Have Heard on High Silent Night Gloria in Excelsius Deo White Christmas Ill be home for Christmas Chestnuts roasting What are yours?? I tend to like the songs that are about white christmas's which I have never experineced but am sure I will some day. Although there is something special about an aussie Christmas, hot weather, carols by candlelight, seafood, cricket..... Well this post is not meant to freak you out if you havent st...

What a day was had on Saturday just gone (18th August for those playing at home!)! I had an absolute ball and just love when you are doing something that you love because you don't get tired but fully energised. Soul Factor put on their "Pure Imagination: Disney, Dreams & Destiny" Concerts to almost full houses and can I say how much fun it was to play Disney Princesses and characters all day. The music is such a pleasure and a delight to sing and I know that everyone there adult and child alike were wanting to join in. We sang songs from Aladdin, Willy Wonka, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and other songs from Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Wiz, The Prince of Egypt and I don't think that covers all of them! I personally played a version of Esmarelda (from Hunchback) I was the narrator but looked like Esmarelda, Little Mermaid and also The Lady of the Lake from Spamalot.  It reminded me how much I love singing and performing for...

Well its been a little while, I have been singing here, singing there and rehearsing, lots of rehearsing!! I've been contemplating of late how privilidged I feel to be a singer and to share with others through music. The words we sing, the melodies, the way we share the story in our faces is a special way to connect emotionally. I have to say emotion is one of those things I have not been without this year as Im sure you are aware of and even in the last couple of weeks a new wave has been upon me. Not just sadness or pain but joy, happiness and assurance and its interesting how now when I sing certain songs I mean every word or suddenly I realise I have lived through that. It touches me afresh and although it can be painful singing what you know to be true in a way it heals, as talking about problems or issues brings healing.  Music connects with people on a deep level, add to that meaningful words and we as the singer are sharing a story of ours or others lives and thats a resp...

My goodness I can not believe that it has been over a month since I posted anything, I do apologise but my life got just a little more crazy there for a while and so I was only doing what I had too! But I have had a fabulous month singing, travelling, meeting new people, making new decisions so it has been great. Highlights: On the 30th June - 1st July I was in Canberra with the staff Band which was great, well it was freezing actually but still the time we had was lovely. We were there to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the sinking of the Montevideo Maru. A World War II Japanese ship carrying Australian Prisoners of War that was sunk by the Americans on July 1, 1942. 1000 Australians were killed including many Salvo Bandsmen and Conductor/Composer Arthur Gullidge. We did a concert on the Saturday night which was a great night of music and then on the Sunday was privileged to play at the unveiling of the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Monument at the Australian War Memorial. Over 10...