[musictlk] Learning to Be More Visualy Pleasing re Performance

Wed Jun 1 22:43:15 UTC 2016

Hi again Donny 	

I would not at all disagree with your opinion on wearing sunglasses. 
My issue however is  I think a bit different than yours. And I am quite
comfortable with not wearing sunglasses. I  almost never do and don't feel
the need to in general interaction. But people are always telling me that I
don't look blind   because I think that since I  had some useful vision when
I was younger I maintain very good eye contact in conversation and also My
retinas are damaged but my eyes still look   cleaer and focused. So i would
hopefully look more natural not looking off like I don't want to be there. I
said I have good eye contact and that is true one on one but you can not
lock eyes with anyone with a croud in front of you. Don't know if that makes
any cence and am not trying to  suggest you wear them. Just my opinion. 

OH BTW I was  training at a YMCA, and  when I took peoples cards  to swipe
them it was  aucward to try to find the card when people were handing them
to me and finding the madnetic strip to swipe it I would tel them I am blind
in hopes that they would meet my  hand with the card and be paciant  as I
scanned the card or  hand it to me so I would know  where the bar code was.
When I told them I was blind  some of them would really act confused. Any
how I put on a pair of shades and for some  reason people instantly found it
very easy to identify that I was blind. For better or worse that was just
the way it was. The staff thought it was a very clever solution. I was just
glad it made  things go smoother. So again for what it is  worth. 
Good luck. I am sure you will do  great. 

Robert 

-----Original Message-----
From: musictlk [mailto:musictlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dani
Pagador via musictlk
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2016 1:57 PM
To: Music Talk Mailing List
Cc: Dani Pagador
Subject: Re: [musictlk] Learning to Be More Visualy Pleasing re Performance

Hi, Everyone.
I may have forgotten to mention the class I'm taking is online through
Berklee College of Music's outreach program. It's the last class before I
get the Arranging certificate.

I'm not really concerned about losing tone when I sing. I just know I _don't
dance, so dancing's out. I also don't gesture much while I talk, but am
thinking I'll need to ask my husband to give me a crash course.

Re the sunglasses, I've opted for not wearing them. I know that I have
nystagmus, but figure in a non-singing situation, anyone I talk to will just
have to deal with it, so the same goes for singing. I don't ask someone I
know who, for example, is bald, to wear a wig when _they are on stage and I
go to watch them, to wear a wig because I am uncomfortable with his shiny
head.

Will let y'all know how it goes. Our assignment this week is Ain't Nobody's
Business.

Thanks,
Dani

On 6/1/16, Robert Moore via musictlk <musictlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Sorry I don't have any helpful feedback but to let you know you have a 
> lot of company.
> I was with a   startup rock/ country band that practiced for a couple
years
> before ever taking the stage. We had only two gigs before I was asked 
> to leave the band. There was a lot of dynamics that went into  there 
> desition mostly not having anything to do with blindness. However one 
> thing that I was told was that I  looked like I was staring off into space
and I had  no
> stage   presence.That was very disturbing to me. OH BTW  I was the bass
> player standing in the back next to the drummer, I also was told by a 
> lot of peopleafterwards that basically bass players really don't often 
> have much of any stage presence, they just stand back there and hold 
> down the bottome end with the drummer.  I would look  around the room 
> and try to smile some times but I would suppose that most times I 
> would not really be looking at anyone.
> No one there knew I was blind. Every one tells me I don't look blind, 
> what ever that means.
> The only  conclusion I came to, right or wrong was that If I get 
> another chance to join a group and perform, I intend on wearing a pare 
> of sunglasses so no one can see that I am not making eye contact.
> I could be wrong  but I seem to recall when I could actually see a 
> little bit that all the blind grates wore them like Ronny Milsap, Stevey
Wonder,
> Ray  Charls, and even Terry  Gibbs. I think   hoesay falesiono was blind
> and
> wore sunglasses.
> So just my thoughts for what they are worth.Hope something in that 
> mess is helpful to you.
>  All the bess.
> Never give up.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: musictlk [mailto:musictlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dani 
> Pagador via musictlk
> Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2016 3:00 AM
> To: musictlk at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Dani Pagador
> Subject: [musictlk] Learning to Be More Visualy Pleasing re 
> Performance
>
> Hi, Everyone.
> This week's lesson covers performance: using the face and hands, and 
> possibly body/gestures, to communicate the story behind the song. The 
> teacher is hoping for a video of the assignment submission--the 
> majority of the students, me included, have submitted audio recordings 
> for the past eight lessons. I am quaking in my boots and want to toss 
> cookies at the idea of having to do a video recording.
>
> I suck wind when it comes to movement. I've got rhythm, yes. But I'm 
> not comfortable gesturing or moving on stage because nothing ever 
> happens the same twice. So I just stand in front of the mic and sing; 
> I'm assuming I have an OK facial expression, because no one's said 
> otherwise. But there's a lot people _don't tell you when you're blind 
> for fear of hirting your feelings, or because they don't really know 
> how to help you ... be more visually appealing ... once they've said 
> something. I know I'll never look like a sighted performer. But dog 
> gone it, how do I get past the anxiety that comes with looking blind, 
> knowing it, and not being able to do a thing to help it?
>
> And dog gone those sightlings. When we go to concerts/performances, 
> _we have to be satisfied with descriptions like "there are singers and 
> dancers, and they look so awesome . ... wish you could've seen it, you 
> would've enjoyed it."; we get to listen to the music, feel the rhythm,  
> and let our ears help us imagine just exactly what we missed.
>
> If it were up to me, I'd dim all the lights and be on stage with the 
> music and the mic and let them imagine all they want ... have the 
> audio minus the visuals, bring them in to _my world as opposed to 
> always having to conform to theirs.
>
> I realize I've got a lot of work I'll need to do. But I'll need to 
> start somewhere, so I'm grateful to be able to ask questions here and 
> not feel like I'm being a dope. This is 45 years of frustration 
> talking. Sorry you guys have to listen to the rant.
>
> So ... what do you guys do? How do you handle performances? How do you 
> learn to be more visually friendly?
>
> Thanks,
> Dani
>
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