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I’ve played violin since age 7, and performing in orchestras, chamber groups and quartets has enriched my life immeasurably.
I count my lucky stars that when we were kids, my cousin Judy, four years my senior and whom I worshipped, took up the violin. I had to do everything Judy did, so of course I begged my parents for violin lessons. Judy only played for a year, and I stayed for the rest of my life.
The dirty little secret is that I never considered myself particularly talented with the violin. Oh, I’m an advanced player all right. But I got to a certain level as a teenager and was never motivated to practice enough to rise above that plateau. So, a decent orchestral musician I remain, and that’s satisfactory for my liking. Alas, the violin isn’t my passion.
After my husband Sam died of cancer in 2019, friends invited me to karaoke. I’d secretly always loved singing, but confined my “performances” to the shower and my car. Sam had acknowledged I had a nice voice, but said it lacked power. Assuming his assessment was the death knell for my further vocal ambitions, I sung exclusively for my own enjoyment and never sought out an audience.
But against all odds, that first night trying out karaoke turned the scenario, and Sam’s assessment of my voice, upside down. It turned out I could sing quite well, and people wanted to listen!
I guess I knew the voice was a muscle, but I didn’t know it could gain power simply through exercise and proper use. The more karaoke I sang, the more powerful my voice became.
Even more important, I began to discover singing certain songs transported me to a higher place. I would try out karaoke versions of various songs on YouTube and find that some did nothing for me while others took me to the moon and back.
The funny thing was, most of the songs I loved singing were lesser known numbers from popular Broadway musicals, past or present.
Well-intentioned friends would suggest I sing certain songs they thought would be a good fit. But those songs seldom engaged me the way my chosen “non-hits” did. For me, it was all about the feeling I got from singing “Thank you for the Music” from Mamma Mia! or “Nothing” from A Chorus Line or “Being in Love” from The Music Man. These songs “did it for me.”
Anna Fiorentini of the Anna Fiorentini Performing Arts School writes, “Singing releases endorphins into your system and makes you feel energized and uplifted… [It] boosts our moods and makes us happy!”
I agree!
But why do I often choose songs seemingly no one else would want to sing? And why do I derive perfect joy from singing one of “my songs”?
According to OpenMicUK, “Singing feels good because you feel it physically and emotionally.”
Well, there you have it. I don’t know that anyone really knows why singing certain songs “sends me.” I’m just glad it does, because there are few experiences as perfectly wonderful .
