Fearless Friday

[wordsrmylife]

One of the things I've been trying to do the past couple of years is be more fearless. Last year, for my birthday, I went soaring. This year I toyed with the idea of rock climbing for my birthday, but went to see Eddie Izzard instead, which wasn't exactly taking a risk. It wasn't until September that I figured out what challenge I'd take on:

Stand-

Comments

[olmue]

I'm thinking if you're doing improv, you're taking the bull by the horns as far as conquering any fears of solo performance. :) I was personally scarred as a child by chorus tryouts in school. Instead of letting the whole class perform songs as a group, they had auditions, and only the special singers got to. I was so terrified of singing in front of a total stranger all alone that it went very badly. And indeed, I was the only second grader banned from chorus that year.

Speaking of improv, have you ever played the improv game Run with It? The group knows the setting, the occupations of the two improv players, and what they are each trying to get the other to do (without explicitly coming out and saying it). The two players only know parts of it, and they do an improv trying to clarify all of that to the other. It's quite fun to watch (but terrifying to perform!)

[wordsrmylife]

I'm not actually doing improv--no group projects, but solo stand-up, which is definitely bull-by-the-horns. I haven't done much improv, but want to, when I have a chance.

Why is it that schools do such horrid things around music? I do hope they don't anymore, but I have a sneaking suspicion it hasn't changed as much as it should have.

[robinellen]

Very impressive, Katherine! I can't imagine even trying something like this...I like my comfort zones :)

[wordsrmylife]

Ah, but you have children--they're already enough to challenge parental comfort zones, even the best of them. :-}

[patty1943]

I haven't sung in front of anyone except Bob (and Jack and Little Jack when they were little) since 8th grade when the music teacher stood in front of me a kept saying, "Someone is flat." I assumed it was me.
I had to give an oral report in college and my voice shook so much no one could understand me.
BUT when I started giving talks to vets and their families about recovering from the war, I had no problem, because it was not for me. It was to help them.
This stand up class is really really brave of you. And too cool.

[wordsrmylife]

The music thing is so tricky. I've made that same assumption--that I was the one who was flat--although I reached a point where I figured as long as I had someone to listen to (and they weren't flat), I was fine. I did sing in choruses, in high school and college, and a community chorus for a while, but I always turned down any offer to solo. It's not me.