On this blog, I wax poetic about flipping, family, teaching and living in mid-life. Those topics take up most of my physical and mental energy, and I am most inspired to talk about them. This post shares a different facet of my creative life that doesn’t often get much exposure: singing for an audience.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been singing. As a child, I’d sit next to my dad as he played the piano. I’d stand next to him singing show tunes and oldies.
While I am now a teacher for almost 30 years, that was not my original life plan.
My vocal backstory
Before I started my career in education, I was completely focused on becoming a performing artist.
In college, I studied theater performance, and was training to be a “triple threat” in the professional realm. This was a pic from a regional production of “A Chorus Line” from about 1000 years ago.
While I trained in all disciplines, singing was the strongest of my abilities.
After college, I spent three years pounding the pavement and paying my dues. It was a hard life, commuting into NYC, standing on 6 a.m. non-equity call lines, taking classes and commuting back home. I was employed by a few regional theaters and taught dance classes locally. I loved the challenge of learning new things and raising the bar. There was so much talent out there. I wanted to learn as much as possible to be in the middle of it all.
Arts education opportunities
Just before I got married, I was offered a few jobs directing and choreographing in a local school. I took them to supplement my income in-between performance contracts. Those experiences changed my life.
In taking those jobs, I came to some important realizations:
- I valued being home and I didn’t want to travel all over creation to work.
- “Show business” did not satisfy me in the same way that creating a show from the director’s chair did.
- Arts education provided long-term career potential, complete with a pension.
- I really loved working with teenagers. Providing arts-in-education experiences lit a brighter fire than performing did.
There was something I liked about paying it forward. All of the arts experiences I had growing up were essential to my personal development. Now, I had the opportunity to offer the same for kids. I really liked that idea.
In a short time, my initial career aspiration had shifted into arts education. The more time I spent in school theater, the better educator I became. 30 years later, I have enjoyed years of creativity and fulfillment, through beautiful relationships with my students. Teaching is part of who I am, and it always will be.
The microphone calls
Flash forward a few decades, and my teaching career is slowly winding down. As it happened, I’d been exploring other ways to express my creativity. I realized that I had missed singing in front of a crowd. Once in a while, I’d surprise people doing karaoke or singing for my students during rehearsal. Any time there was an open mic I’d jump up and sing a tune. But as a working mom, I couldn’t commit to more than that. Performance had to take a back seat to the rest of my life.
Creativity during COVID
During the pandemic summer, technology and Facebook gave me the opportunity to record and share some virtual karaoke.
This was a rendition of “Seven Bridges Road” by the Eagles that I made with Garage Band. All the voices are mine.
I also did a little collaboration with a friend who was also posting virtual music performances.
That burst of pandemic artistic creativity sparked an old flame. I had missed singing out loud. There’s something soothing about taking deep breaths and emoting through song. It also helps when people appreciate your efforts and want to hear more.
Singing live once again
As my kids left for college, I started looking for more opportunities to sing live. One of the venues that has become a performance home is Harmony Hall, an historic mansion in Sloatsburg, NY. They host many events in which music is an integral part, in support of their efforts to restore the building.
In 2021, a friend who is a board member for Friends of Harmony Hall reached out. They needed musicians to perform for their annual Christmas event, and she knew I was a singer.
Their Victorian Holiday celebration was my first event. It was a great opportunity to cull a song list and perform in front of a live audience.
I was nervous, because I’d be performing a 45-minute set for a room full of people. Despite the nerves, I was excited to put myself out there again.
I assembled a set of Christmas favorites and stepped in front of the microphone.
Fortunately, I have been asked back each year since my first appearance.
A clip of “Mary Did You Know?” from 2022. Turns out, this is one of my favorite Christmas tunes!
These are excerpts from 2023.
Joining the Hudson Valley Wind and Brass Ensemble in “The First Noel.”
What a rush. There’s something so cathartic in taking a deep breath and singing your heart out. I’ve even dusted off my flute to play a few tunes with the Hudson Valley Wind and Brass Ensemble. It brings me back to high school, when I was fully immersed in all the music ensembles.
Other Events
I’ve been honored to be invited to return for many other events at Harmony Hall.
Independence Day
The first event was an outdoor event where I presented a set of patriotic songs celebrating our nation.
The Speakeasy
In 2023, Harmony Hall hosted a roaring 20s speakeasy party!
It was such a fun event that raised money for the ongoing restoration. Everyone was dressed to the nines: 1920’s style!
“I’ve Got A Crush On You”
“Fascinating Rhythm”
Spooky-tastic Halloween
In October 2024, Friends of Harmony Hall hosted another event for Halloween.
It was a great way to add to my song list and try out some new songs. These are just a few excerpts from my set of songs about witches and women scorned.
Taking it on the road
In 2023, after the Victorian Holiday performance, one of the FOHH members who plays Mrs. Claus reached out to me. In her non-Christmas life, she works for a local adult care home, booking activities for the residents. She asked if I would come and perform for them. I was thrilled to gather a new set of songs and test out my newly acquired sound system. Below are some excerpts from that day.
July 10, 2024
It’s so cathartic to rekindle this latent passion of mine in such a new way. I’m definitely looking forward to more opportunities to expand my song library and perform for new audiences.
Next stop, Victorian Holiday December 8, 2024!
Stacey's Headspace 