Does Your Mom Think You Sing Great?

Its Important.

Its important to have people around you that believe in what you love to do regardless of the "reality" of how well you do it.
All your friends and family, when you do something you love to do, something that makes you feel like a million, should be applauding!

Sometimes, if family doesn't know what support LOOKS like, you have to spell it out. There's no shame in that. Maybe they've never known!

Its okay now to say "Hey, I know you have your own idea's about how someone should sing but: I'm taking voice because it gives me SUCH joy. I could really use your support. It would look like this: no matter WHAT you really think of my voice....you clap....you smile and you let me know you SUPPORT my efforts! It doesn't matter if the notes are GOOD OR BAD or anything in between. Just that you support the arc of my learning to do it! And thank you!"

I have students memorize these little public service announcements all the time. Mostly for family, so they get the support they can use. Not criticism they can't digest or even relate to.

Does it really matter how perfectly you sang? If your form was exact when you took a jump on your horse? That you skydived solo instead of piggy-backing along with an instructor? Does it really matter if you hit a clunker when you were pouring your heart out onstage??? In the bigger picture of Life does it matter? Will we remember the note or the HEART?

My Mom said to me yesterday that I was a really great writer. Well, I know I am not a really great writer. That's my current point of view but she convinced me enough and I got excited about writing my blog more often! There was a direct result of the support she had for me and that is now effecting you!

Support is unconditional. It has no other agenda. It is kindness up close and personal.

I really love my Mom.

:-)
This is Divy Nelson for
The Singers' Daily
May 2009