A Good Set

I had a really good gig at the Museum yesterday.

Successes never make as good stories as, say, flying microphones, but it is important to acknowledge what one does well. So here goes.

My voice wasn't exactly in rare form, I have to admit. I hadn't been too kind to it over the week, and I was struggling. But the interaction part of the performance was great! Families were singing along, making rooster sounds, waving their hands in the air when prompted, and singing "by yourselves" when it was their turn. Which I took as a good sign.

"Little Peter Rabbit" (starts at 2:20) was fun, although some of the adults didn't seem quite too sure what to make of it. I'm always mildly amused that I get such an enthusiastic response for NOT singing...although, in my defense, I'm NOT singing in a coordinated fashion. (Although it's less impressive than when 3 people are doing it at the same time, as in the video.)

I finally figured out how to sing "Tingalayo" (yes, same video) without losing enthusiasm for the hand motions. I invited the kids up on stage to do the motions with me, and I got about eight helpers. They seemed to enjoy it, and I was loving it too. AND - bonus - the parents in the audience were waving and clapping right along with us, to help their kids remember what to do. They were engaging with each other and the kids, I hope, had a chance to feel empowered. End of buzzwords.

We did "Do Your Ears Hang Low," and one little boy was singing the end of each line as loud as could be! It was great. And everyone was doing the motions along with me.

Most of the crowd dispersed after "Five Little Chickadees," about 20 minutes into the half hour. Which I considered a great sign - at the BCM, most people don't hang around in one place for long. The fact that they stayed that long I took as a huge compliment! So, I had two families for my last three songs. Two little girls, around 3, and two adults each. We did "Tommy Thumb," and the one on my left was loving it. I can't find a video of this one, but one of the verses is:

"Dance them on your shoulders, dance them on your head,
Dance them on your knees, then tuck them into bed."

This little girl sang "head" - right out loud, every time! It was marvelous. Then we did "Going to Kentucky" and I got this girl and her family to come up and dance with me. I closed with "Hush Little Baby" and it was lovely.

And get this - I had an actual microphone! And a mic stand - and when I got there, someone was setting up chairs. And they took it all down for me when I was done.

It's really nice to be treated like a professional.