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Reading Room:  Singing...DO YOU?  |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 07:30:54 AM
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The music industry has tried to put the world of music into a smaller and smaller box all the time and I am afraid that our children are sensing that unless they look and sound like MTV, they can't sing.A few years ago at a family campout the grown ups were up around the bonfire and we started singing. Old songs, new songs, folk songs , you name it we were having a blast! The kids were out playing manhunt and slowly one by one they came to the fire and stood there gaping at as with this strange expression of disbelief. When we asked them what was the matter they answered "You're singing...are you drunk?" We were not, and it wasn't that unusual for each of us to sing at home so this struck us as very odd.When we inquired further of what was so disturbing about us singing they said "You sounded GOOD!" Imagine that , people over 35 able to sing ! Who would of thunk it!
Do you sing? Though far from good , I love to sing and there is no better feeling of release for me. Happy, sad, lonely, blue music and singing bring me a comfort I don't find elsewhere. I have been harmonizing with a few "folky" friends and we just have a great time.
I am hoping some of this sinks into my son through osmosis because he has a really good voice but never sings and claims he hates to. What about all of you? Do you sing for the pure pleasure of it? I sure hope so, and that your kids do too!
with a happy heart |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 08:34:19 AM
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Bramble - I have loved to sing all my life. As a youngster I participated in outdoor theatre and acapella groups. And I sang at many weddings. There is nothing more fun than to sit around a campfire and sing. Problem is, there is no one in our group of friends that pays guitar and will let loose. A few weeks ago, we spent an evening with the priest at our church (we are Episcopalian) and after dinner he brought out his guitar and we sang for awhile. Their twelve year old daughter even danced for us. It was so much fun! I watched her as she sang along with her dad and laid her head on his shoulder and I thought to myself that more kids need to grow up knowing there is much more to life than MTV and American Idol.
jpbluesky |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 09:24:32 AM
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Shower diva here... Some songs just stick there in my head and my heart and I just have to sing! Soooo....I sing while working in the kitchen, at the sink, the computer, gardening, working in the vineyard, the shower, and I sing to my Dexters. I recently saw Phantom of the Opera and I am singing or humming "Music of the Night". My daughter rolls her eyes at me, and says "here we go again". She puts up with me, and my diva dreams.
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/sb/sb101.html |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 09:43:56 AM
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Phantom of the opera is so hauntingly beautiful. I find myself singing it to. I have the original cast recording on dvd that I love to listen to and find myself singing too.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 11:04:55 AM
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Bramble,
Your bonfire story is very similiar to our bonfire a month or so ago with the parents and older friends playing instruments and singing some old Neil Young songs, etc. and the teenagers were playing "capture the flag" in the dark(Don't ask me how!)
Anyway, some boys also found their way back to the fire to join us and incredibly we got the same response "are you guys drunk??"
Sad to think that having so much fun to them equates with being drunk!
Anyway, we've had a another bonfire since then(and another planned next week) but requested by the kids themselves who discovered the joy of singing out loud and making up their own songs!! I have a feeling its going to be a long wonderful bonfire summer.
They can't stop talking about what fun it was!!
We are on the hunt for some cheap percussion instruments, more logs to sit on and a few extra bags of marshmallows to have on hand.
Thanks for submitting this topic.
I will check in with you throughout the summer and maybe we exchange a few more stories and songs from our bonfires!!
Happy Singing, Bramble!
Susan
"If more of us valued good food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 3:59:28 PM
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Car Diva! I used to be in the choir i ngrade school then after I had my tonsels out I have had a horrible time carrying a tune.
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 4:46:41 PM
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Kim!! I never equated tonsil removal with singing voice going to pot.... but that's my story too, and I'm stickin' to it!!!!! I tend to hum alot, and sing along in my head.... and sometimes in the car. Thanks for this answer... gotta be it!
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 5:33:12 PM
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I had my tonsils removed at 13...Can't carry a tune to save my soul. But I will sing when the spirit and songs move me! And everyone can sing in the shower...while riding a lawnmower or in a car!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/sb/sb101.html |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2005 : 10:32:08 PM
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Still have my tonsils..but can't sing..but I do anyhow..in the car with my kids mostly..even more when I am alone. And I always have the radio on when I am milking so I sing with the country music channel while I milk the goats...Poor things..there they are stuck with their head in a stanchion and listening to ME sing..haha
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2005 : 3:23:57 PM
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The tonsil thing is the only link my mom and I can find. Unless I went through some sort of "change" like boys do, lol!
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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goalieboy
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
erik
moscow
id
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 12:25:42 PM
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My dad used to sit outside my Mom's first floor dorm room and sing to her. It was before he learned to play guitar and he'd get his friend to sit with him and strum along. The whole idea of singing for pleasure instead of profit just sort of dried up after MGM stopped making musicals and i don't understand it. Singing is as essential as breathing and is so precious that when someone says something snide it hits like a hammer. For instance, my ex-wife was driving along with her first husband and singing and when she finished up and grinned a big cheezy grin at him he calmly asked her "please don't do that anymore." I still want to turn that boy to thistle and chop him down because now she rarely sings and she has the most lovely voice i've ever heard. But even if she had a voice like a crocodile, who cares? There's nothing as healthy and soul filling as connecting with a melody and belting out some joy. So sing gurls, sing your guts out, it's your birthright as much as any sunrise songbird.
The song i've been singing to everyone at work this week:
all i do the whole night thru
is dream of you
and with the dawn i still go on
dreaming of you
you're every thought
you're every thing
you're every song i ever sing
summmer
winter
autumn... and spring |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 12:28:20 PM
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Goalieboy - sing on. A woman loves to hear a man sing to her. And dance with her. I remember sometimes my dad would just grab my mom and dance with her in the kitchen, and she had such a look of joy on her face.
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
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goalieboy
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
erik
moscow
id
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 12:28:50 PM
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Oh yeah, and MJ's been singing this one:
if you can't be gay and merry
lock yourself in sol-it-ar-y |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 12:34:08 PM
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Thanks for the encouragement to sing, Erik. Looking back, I do remember some "looks"... probably part of the stigma, for sure. I have recently started renting 1940's type musicals, what few my video store has... and they've all been pretty cool, really, and yes- easy to sing along with. If they're dancing, so much the better!
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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goalieboy
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
erik
moscow
id
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 12:53:18 PM
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| "Singin' in the Rain" The best movie ever, hands down. |
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goalieboy
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
erik
moscow
id
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 1:00:44 PM
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The Worry Song, from Anchor's Aweigh, as sung by Gene Kelly to Jerry the Mouse.
If you worry, if you worry
if you bother your head,
It won't help you, it won't help you
it won't butter your bread.
Grouches, groaners, cranks and moaners,
they're so unfair,
if you can't be gay and merry,
lock yourself in solitary.
Though it hurts you, though it hurts you,
be a pleasanter guy
You may even learn to like it,
if you'd give it a try.
You could laugh and sing and dance as gaily as an elf but
don't expect to get much help if you don't help yourself.
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PJJ
True Blue Farmgirl
95 Posts
Paula
Bristow
OK
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 4:41:47 PM
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How do I sing? Poorly, but I still do it.
Actually, my song of the week is Jo Dee Messina's "My Give A Damn's Busted," but you'd have to be living my life to fully appreciate it!
We sing a lot together, in the car and such. The kids probably know more about 60s and 70s music than popular music of today. And, of course, we know all the Girl and Boy Scout camp songs! I'm sure Ty will come home with a few more from Boy Scout camp this week.
Showers are too quick for me to sing in there. But I love having some nice music on if/when I find time for a bath!
Paula J.
Paula J., with Ty, Cara, Brody, Blue, and Fidget |
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atwell
True Blue Farmgirl
88 Posts
susan
Laporte
IN
USA
88 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 5:49:58 PM
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singing!!!!!yes yes yes !!!!!!Its too bad my voice is pretty mediocre because i do love to sing. all it takes is one word or phrase and its like instant name that tune!!!I think kids will sing if they are so inclined..if they are in a comfortable setting.I know my nieces 12 and 9 love to jam with my mom in her sewing room to some country and western!! Now they wouldnt choose that on their own..but i think its important to let them know its a great method of self-expression even if you arent on american idol!!!!!Such a simple source of pure joy!~!
FatQuarterQuiltFarm
Long Arm Machine
Quilting ~and~
Fabric Flea Market |
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atwell
True Blue Farmgirl
88 Posts
susan
Laporte
IN
USA
88 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 5:58:30 PM
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ok ive got another story about singing!!!I was working for the state highway department as a flag person one summer during college. As a flagger you are quite a ways from the rest of the work crew...so to keep myself entertained i was wailing completely outloud who knows what... but the cows in the pasture across the way were so intrigued they had to come up to the fence and stare at me!!!! They probably thought I was wailing some sort of distress call. I think i ended up laughing so hard I was crying!!At least THEY didnt hold their noses and booo me!!!!
FatQuarterQuiltFarm
Long Arm Machine
Quilting ~and~
Fabric Flea Market |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 6:11:32 PM
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My mower is really loud so I can sing very loudly and badly...My mowing songs of choice...theme song to Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies.
Green acres is the place to be...
Farm livin is the life for me...
Land spreadin out so far and wide...
Keep manhattan just gimme that countryside!
Come and let me tell a story bout a man named Jed...
Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed...
Then one day he was shootin at some food...
and up through the ground came a bubblin crude...
Oil that is...Black gold, Texas Tea...
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/sb/sb101.html |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 6:58:25 PM
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Here is another dimension to singing... The songs we sing to our babies and children. My sweet mother taught me songs to sing to my babies, the same ones she sang to me. "I'm a little teapot, short and stout. here is my handle, here is my spout, when i get all steamed up hear me shout, just tip me over and pour me out!" "Insty winsty spider, climbed up the water spout, down came the rain and washed the spider out...out came the sun and dried up all the rain, the insty winsty spider climbed up the spout again."
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/sb/sb101.html |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 11:57:59 PM
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Jenny....I had to tell you MY green acres story..I loved to think about you mowing to that tune, by the way. My son (he is 8) did a dance thing with his class at their end of the school year "May Festival" and the song was a medley which inclued the Green Acres theme. He came home all amazed. He was sure that I had made up that song. He couldn't figure out how his teacher got ahold of it!! I have always sung it around the kids.
Jenny in Utah
The best things in life arn't things! |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 04:56:51 AM
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I love your singing stories! The other kooky thing I used to sing were all the old commercials and the kids thought I'd lost it until TVLand started rerunning "classsic commercials". Remember "I'm a pepper, he's a pepper, wouldn't you like to be a pepper too? Dr. Pepper...Drink Dr.Pepper! And old tv show theme songs... "Go speed racer, go speed racer...", "Spiderman, Spiderman friendly neighborhood spiderman...", "Na na na na na na na na ....Batman!"
Does anyone remember the Enjoli commercial? " I can bring home the bacon. Fry it up in a pan, and never let you forget you're a man because I'm a WOOOOMAN!" Does perfume really cause all that?!!!Funny how a catchy song will stick in your head no matter what it's saying!
Keep singing everyone!
with a happy heart |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 06:13:45 AM
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The "because I'm a woman" song was first sung by Peggy Lee in a group of torch songs. It is for real.
I like to sing "cry me a river" not always because I am especially sad, but because it feels good to sing the tune.
Now you say you love me
You cry the whole night through
Well, you can cry me a river
Cry me a river
I cried a river over you.
You drove me, nearly drove me out of my mind
and you never shed a tear.
You drove me, nearly drove me out of my mind
Told me love was too plebian
Told me you were through with me and
Now you say you love me
Well, just to prove it's true
Cry me a river
Cry me a river
I cried a river over you.
P.S. I had to look up the word plebian the first time I heard this song!
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Jun 23 2005 06:20:18 AM |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2005 : 08:30:26 AM
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I am a big fan of her "Fever", although a much different sentiment!
She had such a smooth and effortless voice! I also liked Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday!
I love all those old ballad and torch songs! We even danced to "Our love is here to stay" at our wedding in 1987! Friends our age thought we were nuts and our parents were a bit confused as well! I remember an uncle saying to me "I didn't think you even knew about that song, that's WAY before your time!" What can I say...good music is good music always!
with a happy heart |
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Fulminous
Farmgirl in Training
40 Posts
Deb
Maine
40 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2005 : 4:18:32 PM
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| I sing whenever the fancy strikes me. I like to make up silly rhyming songs and I sing them off-key unpurpose. My favorite memory of a time when I was doing this was while I was paddling my canoe solo with my dog (who gets very nervous easily), she was unsettled at this particular time because I had put her in the front of the canoe to balance the weight and this furthur away from me than she wanted to be at the moment. She was turned around facing me with her back downstream, she had the sweetest look in her eyes but was still shaking from her typical nervousness. I was then inspired to sing to her as we were approaching some rapids, a loving lullaby of sorts using the words that I know she recognised. Just trying to settle and soothe her, it worked wonders and I have sung to her (and to my fiance) ever since! |
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Reading Room: Singing...DO YOU? |
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Singing...DO YOU?
