[musictlk] Learning to Be More visually Pleasing re Performance

Fri Jun 3 07:56:43 UTC 2016

Hi Dani,

Well, I hope you pass with flying colors.  I wouldn't wear 
sunglasses either.

Blessings,

Linda

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Dani Pagador via musictlk <musictlk at nfbnet.org
To: Music Talk Mailing List <musictlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 1 Jun 2016 08:57:16 -1000
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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