This blog is about music and how it keeps me on an even keel. In our house we have a piano, it arrived about ten years ago, Marnie was having violin and saxophone lessons and a work mate of Gillians was planning to get rid of the piano her daughter had learnt on, up to grade eight no less. For much of those ten years it has sat in our lounge as a glorified ornament table. I spent some time stripping it down and waxing it so it really was quite a lovely item of furniture, just not very musical. Some years ago it was moved and now resides in our tiny back bedroom. My own musical outlet has been singing and for over fifteen years I have sung in choirs, attended classes and have become a passionate believer in the ability of song to promote mental and physical health. Some recent examples of projects that I have been part of and were I feel this fact has been ably demonstrated are the three consecutive years in which the Liverpool World Mental Health Day events. They have been organised by the Liverpool Mental Health Consortium and have featured music consistently during the days event. In 2013 the choir I currently sing with L8Sings sang at an event called Mental health and Me. I have blogged about it previously but essentially i got sing and read at that event, when it comes down to it it should really of been called All about Me. Last years event had a finale where a collection of sixteen local choirs came together to dramatic effect in Williamson Square in Liverpool city centre.
Meanwhile back in my back bedroom I been cavorting privately with our piano for over two years now. I work out simple arrangements to songs I know, often that I have learnt in choir and together we make music together, until we get told to stop, that listeners in the house can only take so much.
I have found choir is a great place to make friends, they are an encouraging bunch of folk. One of my choir friends Alice, has introduced to us an open mike event that runs locally. Once a month a group of us troop off to this event after choir. Its called Eclectic Acoustic and is run by Alice's friend, a lovely fellah called Dylan, who is a mean harmonica player. The events is aptly named as the variety of acts are extremely diverse, I have seen performers aged from nine to ninety. The varied acts include poetry, song, dance and many different instrumentalists playing trombones, flutes, cellos and many more besides show up in numbers. One time somebody turned up with a set of keyboards so i was persuaded to give my piano skill a public airing. I was as nervous as hell, but everyone was very encouraging, we all have to start somewhere and this is a good place to do just that. At the last event i was complementing a performer who did some lovely Christmas numbers the previous session. She thanked me but explained she couldn't remember it as she had short term memory loss. She was quite content and chatted with me about her past musical achievements singing the clubs with a harmony group. Her name was Pat and she was in her late 80's. What more can i say!
I love this world of music making and that other world that I love, the dog walking one has a fair bit of crossover. L8sings is awash with dog owners and we often meet up in the park with our pooches. We have even been known to burst into song celebrating the joys of our latest choir number. Last May I blogged about a man called Arthur last year who i met dog-walking, well he has since-times joined the choir and has also begun to come along to the Eclectic Acoustic nights. His first performance before Christmas was of the Marsiellaise without out knowing the words. This week he performed the Happy song. Its not the popular Ferrel Williams one but a much older song, with its roots somewhere in the era of his namesake and fellow Scouser Arthur Askey. I only wish I had filmed it, he takes to the stage and draws the attention of the audience with a bit of friendly banter. Once everyone is listening he launches, and I mean launches, all hands waving and arms extending into an animated rendition as follows. Oh I’m H. A. P. P. Y. Oh I’m H. A. P. P. Y. Oh I know I am, I’m sure I am I’m H. A. P. P.Y. he repeated this several times, people began clapping and singing along, he even pauses at some point to encourage the crowd by asking them if they wanted more. They did, Priceless
Meanwhile back in my back bedroom I been cavorting privately with our piano for over two years now. I work out simple arrangements to songs I know, often that I have learnt in choir and together we make music together, until we get told to stop, that listeners in the house can only take so much.
I have found choir is a great place to make friends, they are an encouraging bunch of folk. One of my choir friends Alice, has introduced to us an open mike event that runs locally. Once a month a group of us troop off to this event after choir. Its called Eclectic Acoustic and is run by Alice's friend, a lovely fellah called Dylan, who is a mean harmonica player. The events is aptly named as the variety of acts are extremely diverse, I have seen performers aged from nine to ninety. The varied acts include poetry, song, dance and many different instrumentalists playing trombones, flutes, cellos and many more besides show up in numbers. One time somebody turned up with a set of keyboards so i was persuaded to give my piano skill a public airing. I was as nervous as hell, but everyone was very encouraging, we all have to start somewhere and this is a good place to do just that. At the last event i was complementing a performer who did some lovely Christmas numbers the previous session. She thanked me but explained she couldn't remember it as she had short term memory loss. She was quite content and chatted with me about her past musical achievements singing the clubs with a harmony group. Her name was Pat and she was in her late 80's. What more can i say!
I love this world of music making and that other world that I love, the dog walking one has a fair bit of crossover. L8sings is awash with dog owners and we often meet up in the park with our pooches. We have even been known to burst into song celebrating the joys of our latest choir number. Last May I blogged about a man called Arthur last year who i met dog-walking, well he has since-times joined the choir and has also begun to come along to the Eclectic Acoustic nights. His first performance before Christmas was of the Marsiellaise without out knowing the words. This week he performed the Happy song. Its not the popular Ferrel Williams one but a much older song, with its roots somewhere in the era of his namesake and fellow Scouser Arthur Askey. I only wish I had filmed it, he takes to the stage and draws the attention of the audience with a bit of friendly banter. Once everyone is listening he launches, and I mean launches, all hands waving and arms extending into an animated rendition as follows. Oh I’m H. A. P. P. Y. Oh I’m H. A. P. P. Y. Oh I know I am, I’m sure I am I’m H. A. P. P.Y. he repeated this several times, people began clapping and singing along, he even pauses at some point to encourage the crowd by asking them if they wanted more. They did, Priceless