SESAME STREET TUESDAY
One time I was sitting around in the green room during the intermission of an opera and my fellow cast members started to reminisce about how and why they started singing. There were many different factors and explanations, but the one that struck me the most came a soprano who had enjoyed a long and successful singing career. She said that she knew she wanted to be a singer when she was a little girl and she heard a song on Sesame Street that told her to "sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong... Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear. Just sing, sing a song."
Many times I have had people tell me that they don't like sitting next to me in church because they feel that as a trained singer I must be judging them as they sing and they get really embarrassed. The reality is quite the opposite: I am thrilled when people sing out, regardless of how "trained" or "beautiful" their voice may be. I repeat: "Make it simple, to last your whole life long. Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear. Just sing, sing a song."
This post is dedicated to my Mom on her birthday - thanks for always supporting me as I've pursued this crazy dream of singing. Plus, when I was little she used to make me up a plate of chopped up hot dogs with ketchup or a mug of chicken and stars soup while I watched Sesame Street. Love you, Mom!
One time I was sitting around in the green room during the intermission of an opera and my fellow cast members started to reminisce about how and why they started singing. There were many different factors and explanations, but the one that struck me the most came a soprano who had enjoyed a long and successful singing career. She said that she knew she wanted to be a singer when she was a little girl and she heard a song on Sesame Street that told her to "sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong... Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear. Just sing, sing a song."
Many times I have had people tell me that they don't like sitting next to me in church because they feel that as a trained singer I must be judging them as they sing and they get really embarrassed. The reality is quite the opposite: I am thrilled when people sing out, regardless of how "trained" or "beautiful" their voice may be. I repeat: "Make it simple, to last your whole life long. Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear. Just sing, sing a song."
This post is dedicated to my Mom on her birthday - thanks for always supporting me as I've pursued this crazy dream of singing. Plus, when I was little she used to make me up a plate of chopped up hot dogs with ketchup or a mug of chicken and stars soup while I watched Sesame Street. Love you, Mom!
6 comments:
I thought this was a great post. The lesson of "don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear" is one I learned and forgot many times over the course of my life so far.
While I condone the message of this song I don't think it was one of Sesame Street's greatest moment. I had to eat something salty and drink a lot of water after watching it.
I like this one! I totally remember this one from when I was a kid. Made me happy :) I like the Spanish part.
Thanks for the dedication, Brian! I loved it! Thanks also for the link to last year's post. It made me cry again. And, thanks for for the birthday song- it was so good to hear you sing! I miss it!... I'll probably be singing "Sing" in my head all night.
Brian, you are great! I am sure that you won extra brownie points for this post. Your mom is wonderful!
I remember learning this song in Music class in elementary school. Good times!
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