When I was in my late teenage, the pastor of the church discovered my singing voice. Once a month, he asked me to sing solo during the communion service. After it went on for a couple years, when the churches had combined meetings, I was the featured soloist. I remember the first few times of singing in front of large audience, I was frightened to death. My body had uncontrollable violent trembling. My knees were shaking, hitting each other. My upper and lower teeth were vibrating. My shoulders to the fists were shivering. My heart was throbbing. I tried to tighten all of my muscles to hold still.
When it was to my turn to get on the podium, I looked at the audience. I tried to find familiar faces. When I saw some, I smiled, and then my trembling stopped. I nodded to the pianist to signal him to start. Once I started singing, the trembling stopped. I had the song memorized, so I sang through the whole song with expression and with smile on my face.
The same kind of fear of large audience happened a few more time. As I continued to sing, the confidence was increased. I frequently sang solo in church combined meetings, weddings, and college annual concerts. I joined the Hong Kong Oratorical Society for years until I came to the USA. We had two performances and one TV broadcast each year. We also traveled to Southeast Asia countries for performances. Those were my memorable years.
Wow your list of talents is unending. You are traveller, writer, painter, pretty good photographer, and now singing… how do you get enthusiasm to be this proactive in every field.
Well I carry my camera with me whenever I remember it. I sing in the church choir. Now that I’m retired, I take classes for the retirees – Wed. watercolor, Thur. poetry, Fri. chorale (it’s a choir but not church choir). I love all that I’m doing, so have no pressure. Thank you for asking!!
I know! Such as learning violin, the beginning is so tough, sounds are not what you want to hear. If the learner doesn’t get support, it’s easy to give up.
Thank you for the nomination. I appreciate you very much. I do acknowledgment instead of acceptance. I started Blog Free little bit less than one month ago. After that. I continue to receive awards. Yours is the 15th in 28 days. I will make a post of acknowledging the last 5 nominations. Thank you again!
I absolutely love singing and sing with our small church group as well as having sung – only once, a very long time ago! – in a mass choir performance of Handel’s Messiah (which is also one of my favourites 🙂 ). But I totally lack the confidence to sing solo. I hate the ‘all eyes on me sensation’ and I also had a fair amount of criticism when I was young. Well done you for being confident enough to break through the fear. Now my teenage daughter has started singing lessons and I’m really encouraging her to sing in front of others as she has a lovely voice and it may in turn bless others in due course.
How I love to hear the echo! Music is a different kind of language. I always say music speaks to my soul more than spoken language. You must have a great voice to sing Messiah. It gets quite high in some notes. I’m glad to hear your daughter has a lovely voice and started singing lessons. A right size church would give her the opportunity to sing in front of the audience. I didn’t get many chance singing solos after I started going to a huge church, too many talents already. But I go to a different group that only perform Messiah annually. Thank you for sharing!!
I had a very traumatic experience with my Grade 2 teacher in Math. This caused me a lot of trembling moments with anything related to Math until I reached the university. With this aberration for this subject, I knew I had to excel in something else. That is, be excellent in English communication skills which had always served me in good stead anywhere I go. It’s the foundation of my success in every endeavor I put myself in. By the way, you must be really musically gifted, you’re blessed!
I guess I love music. I sang some great music such as Brahms’s Requiem, Elijah, and some Cantatas. I know what you had experienced with the math teacher in grade 2. It casted a doubt in you, whereas my grade 1 teacher said I was bright, I believed it, and it helped me throughout my life. So I was very sensitive to my students when I became a teacher 30 years ago. It;s good that you found your strength and excel.
How lovely to sing in Handel’s Messiah, my Mom and I attended a performance of the Messiah for the first time this past December and enjoyed it immensely! You are so brave to continue on despite trembling!
Thank you! So I have been singing Messiah for 40 years off and on. My daughter came to my rehearsal a couple years ago here in CA. Last Christmas, she and her husband went to a performance in Portland, OR for the fist time also!
Another great post. Thank you for sharing. They always say people, in general, perform better when there is a significant other, family, friends and etc in the audience to show support. I am always nervous when it comes to participation and presentation. OMG! But, I always get through. Thank you for sharing!
Yes that’s the feeling we get to, even after years of making presentations at large business meetings. Its that sense of trembling at the unknown, about how the audience will respond to you that keeps us shaking…but you are right, with experience and time we learned to take that in our stride and even joke about it with the audience!
I still have stage fright myself getting in front of large crowds still makes me tremble. The last time I spoke at church I was shaking so bad that my pastor teased me afterwards that he almost went to find a rubber band to tie the Microphone to my hand because I was shaking so much he thought it was going to fly. Thankfully I am so short that only those on stage could see me shake since the podium hid me.Thanks for sharing this
Wow your list of talents is unending. You are traveller, writer, painter, pretty good photographer, and now singing… how do you get enthusiasm to be this proactive in every field.
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Well I carry my camera with me whenever I remember it. I sing in the church choir. Now that I’m retired, I take classes for the retirees – Wed. watercolor, Thur. poetry, Fri. chorale (it’s a choir but not church choir). I love all that I’m doing, so have no pressure. Thank you for asking!!
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Amazing! Its very inspiring to see you keeping yourself so accompanied with creativity and positive outlook. I will grab few tips from you😊
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If you do what you love to do, it’s not work, it’s fun. I worked for many many may years before I retired, so I’m spoiling myself!!
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You are spoiling yourself in a very amazing way. Everyone should do this, very often. 😊
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Thank you for agreeing with me. You’re wonderful!
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Definitely not as wonderful as you are, but, i am on way of learning. 😊 thank you for praising. 🤗
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You’re welcome!!!!
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😊
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🙂
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very inspiring
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Thank you so much!!
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You did overcome your fear and there lies your strength. Lovely pictures… 🙂
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Thank you, Monica. Yes, and I’ve been singing for years ever since…! 🙂
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You are welcome…:-)
A small correction, it’s Maniparna ( you can call me Mani) not Monica…
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Thank you Maniparna, sorry for calling you the wrong name!!
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It’s okay…:-D
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Thank you, Maniparna!
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How wonderful you were able to share your voice even though it was hard
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I love to sing, just had to overcome the fear. I’m glad I decided to stick with it. I’ve been singing ever since that time~
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I’m so glad you stuck with it. So many people just give in and give up and then they miss so many opportunities to share their gift.
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I know! Such as learning violin, the beginning is so tough, sounds are not what you want to hear. If the learner doesn’t get support, it’s easy to give up.
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What a great post ! The pictures were lovely and what a talented lady you are. Thank you for sharing.
I don’t know whether you accept nominations for awards or not but I have nominated you for the Blog-acholic Award. You can check it out at https://susmitamukherjee.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/blog-acholic-award/
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Thank you for the nomination. I appreciate you very much. I do acknowledgment instead of acceptance. I started Blog Free little bit less than one month ago. After that. I continue to receive awards. Yours is the 15th in 28 days. I will make a post of acknowledging the last 5 nominations. Thank you again!
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Thank you so much for your words of appreciation . Your acknowledgement means a lot to me.
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You’re very welcome. I’ll acknowledge the 5 that I received the last 5 days!!
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Thank you so much !
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You’re welcome!
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I absolutely love singing and sing with our small church group as well as having sung – only once, a very long time ago! – in a mass choir performance of Handel’s Messiah (which is also one of my favourites 🙂 ). But I totally lack the confidence to sing solo. I hate the ‘all eyes on me sensation’ and I also had a fair amount of criticism when I was young. Well done you for being confident enough to break through the fear. Now my teenage daughter has started singing lessons and I’m really encouraging her to sing in front of others as she has a lovely voice and it may in turn bless others in due course.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How I love to hear the echo! Music is a different kind of language. I always say music speaks to my soul more than spoken language. You must have a great voice to sing Messiah. It gets quite high in some notes. I’m glad to hear your daughter has a lovely voice and started singing lessons. A right size church would give her the opportunity to sing in front of the audience. I didn’t get many chance singing solos after I started going to a huge church, too many talents already. But I go to a different group that only perform Messiah annually. Thank you for sharing!!
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bful…gr8 knowing u
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Thank you, great to be connected with you!
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😊
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🙂
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What a wonderful story I loved reading it, thanks for sharing 🌹
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Thank you for reading it!!!!
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What a lovely original and authentic memory, Miriam! And, as always, great photos to illustrate.
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Thank you, Theresa!
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I LOVE this story, Miriam–what a lovely and talented woman you are!!!
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I’m glad you like my story. I have may interests!
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🙂 🙂
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You’re a talented lady!
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Your comment makes me happy!!!
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I had a very traumatic experience with my Grade 2 teacher in Math. This caused me a lot of trembling moments with anything related to Math until I reached the university. With this aberration for this subject, I knew I had to excel in something else. That is, be excellent in English communication skills which had always served me in good stead anywhere I go. It’s the foundation of my success in every endeavor I put myself in. By the way, you must be really musically gifted, you’re blessed!
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I guess I love music. I sang some great music such as Brahms’s Requiem, Elijah, and some Cantatas. I know what you had experienced with the math teacher in grade 2. It casted a doubt in you, whereas my grade 1 teacher said I was bright, I believed it, and it helped me throughout my life. So I was very sensitive to my students when I became a teacher 30 years ago. It;s good that you found your strength and excel.
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How lovely to sing in Handel’s Messiah, my Mom and I attended a performance of the Messiah for the first time this past December and enjoyed it immensely! You are so brave to continue on despite trembling!
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Thank you! So I have been singing Messiah for 40 years off and on. My daughter came to my rehearsal a couple years ago here in CA. Last Christmas, she and her husband went to a performance in Portland, OR for the fist time also!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another great post. Thank you for sharing. They always say people, in general, perform better when there is a significant other, family, friends and etc in the audience to show support. I am always nervous when it comes to participation and presentation. OMG! But, I always get through. Thank you for sharing!
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You’re welcome. That was the greatest trembling experience, so I wanted to share!
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And you wrote it so well!
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Yes that’s the feeling we get to, even after years of making presentations at large business meetings. Its that sense of trembling at the unknown, about how the audience will respond to you that keeps us shaking…but you are right, with experience and time we learned to take that in our stride and even joke about it with the audience!
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Yes, that was what I did after I became administrator. I was getting good at thinking on my feet.
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The more you face the fear, the faster it fades away👍
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Yes, that was what happened and brought me to a point when I didn’t have to think about it!!!
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👍 I love your simplicity!
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Thank you!!!
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I love this, if you don’t mind me saying that. I really do love it! It speaks the truth!
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Thank you!!
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You are more than welcome! 😊
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Thank you! That is all I strive for… The truth.
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😊🙂 The truth make you live freely, my mother said to me when I was young, maybe 5 or 6.
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Wonderful words. Beautiful association!
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😀😊🙂🙈 thank youuuuuuuu
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Lovely… I love second pic…
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Oh, thank you. I was braver by then!
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I still have stage fright myself getting in front of large crowds still makes me tremble. The last time I spoke at church I was shaking so bad that my pastor teased me afterwards that he almost went to find a rubber band to tie the Microphone to my hand because I was shaking so much he thought it was going to fly. Thankfully I am so short that only those on stage could see me shake since the podium hid me.Thanks for sharing this
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You’re welcome. I’m glad someone could relate, and thank you for telling me your story. It makes me feel better already!!
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