It wasn't exactly on my bucket list but singing a solo with the Renaissance "Singing for Fun" class was definitely something that should have been on the list.
Turns out there is more to the solo business than just singing alone, at least the way it went down with me. For one thing, I was asked to do a solo but not given an assigned song. With over 10,000 songs in my music library, selecting a song is no easy matter. To help me narrow the field, I looked for casual, nostalgic numbers and I also tried to find songs that needed a choral backup. That way, the group wouldn't resent "my song". Then I discovered that I was also responsible for arranging the number. Fortunately, there was a recording of several Perry Como songs that I liked including my final choice of "Catch A Falling Star and Put It In Your Pocket".
I practiced at home alone, memorizing the words so I could concentrate on the arrangement. I practiced different tempos and timbres. Then I realized that it was my song and I could change the arrangement if I wanted to. And there were a few minor changes. It wasn't until the week of the performance, though,before I finally "let go" and really sang what I wanted to. On my last solo performance I finally understood I could improvise and the last note was completely different from what our group expected. Yahoo!
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