"Never, never stop singing, please."
Welcome to my sharing and reflection journal.
This time I want to talk about my first experience at the Fleurieu Folk Festival, where I spent my last weekend. Chris, one of my friends asked me about my highlights, so I thought I should share it here because you might also want to listen 😊
People and Stories (warm-hearted moments)
1. "Don’t think too hard, just feel."
When I first set up my tent, I said hi to my neighbours Richard and Mandy. I didn’t know they were also musicians. After hearing I was learning ukulele, they instantly invited me to bring my ukulele to the music session so Mandy could show me some chords (how kind). When I got there on Friday night, my first night (how keen I was), I noticed Richard knew all the songs by heart while Mandy was trying to figure out some of the chords.
"Don’t think too hard, just feel," Richard said. It was so easy for him to say that because he has already mastered it. But I also agreed with him to some extent. If I focus too much on getting some musical notes right while singing, the song will never sound nice. For music, I think we need to use our hearts to feel and let the melody flow and fly in our own unique way. That makes music special.
2. I didn’t expect I also inspired some people.
I didn’t plan to sing at the Open Mic session this time, because I had quite a few volunteer shifts to do. But when I bumped into Cas whom I met at the Wirrina Bluegrass & Acoustic Roots Festival last year, he said maybe we could perform a song together. So I thought: "Why not sing some Chinese songs as I usually do?" Practice makes perfect.
But I also asked Cas to perform a song on his own, and he agreed. He was very good at making a song on the spot, so never underestimate your potential! In addition, we pushed his friend Josh to do his debut. Afterwards, they both thanked me, saying they wouldn’t have done that without me. That was a pleasant surprise. I think that’s also the joy of being in a team, we support each other for the better.
But actually, they pushed me to do something too. While we were at Austral’s performance, Angus from the band asked us to remove the first three rows of chairs so the audience could dance to the music, and we were very lucky to sit on the third row. I froze a bit, as I was so shy to dance in public. "Hey, you pushed me to sing at the open mic, so now it’s your turn to dance here." Josh looked at me with a cheeky smile. Ok. I gave it a go in the end. Feeling a bit awkward, but still had a sense of small achievements, at least I made some changes.
That’s why I always dreamed of being in a band with the curiosity of seeing what can come out of our collaboration. So please contact me if you are interested in playing some music with me.
3. ‘Never, never stop singing, please.’
When I finished my singing at the open mic session, one lady called Anna stopped me and said: "Your singing is just beautiful. Can you sing this Chinese song, Endless Love by Jackie Chan, please?" Sure. I did that the next day for her. When I was singing that song, she was so happy with her eyes shining: "This is so good!" She raised her voice with a big smile. Then Anna told me something very important in a pleading tone: "Never, never stop singing, please." That was such a sweet moment to see what my singing could bring to others. Well, I have no choice now, just keep singing, and push this music door a bit wider. What would be the views out there? I don’t know. Join me to see how my music fairy is going to take me 😉
4. Lovely volunteers crew
Thinking it would be my first time setting up a tent all by myself, I was nervous all the way while driving to the site. But I got help from one of the lovely volunteers as soon as I arrived there, and Josh helped me to pack up, thanks both!
During the nights, it was really cold, and I wasn’t prepared for this at all. But thanks to the volunteer crew again. Sandie, the MC coordinator, overheard my conversation with Cas, so she offered her spare blanket to me. That was the advantage of being in a lovely volunteering community.
Music
1. Early Saturday afternoon, when I was at Danie J Townsend’s session, hearing his song Maryanne, Marry Me, I felt the cheerful energy filling up the whole room.
2. Later on, watching two harps from Duo Celtica and Telenn Tri playing opposite to each other and seeing the sunlight shining in the room, time seemed to have stopped for a while, appreciating this beautiful setting, and enjoying such a peaceful combination between music and nature. How therapeutic.
3. Austral’s session was so joyful that I felt everything was dancing with them.
4. On Sunday morning, hearing the band Saije singing, I felt their voice was coming from a forest. Then hearing some of the stories behind songs made me feel a deeper connection. After a circle, Joe finally decided to pursue music instead of everything else, because he realised music is always his way. While for Shanteya, she was on the journey to embrace and celebrate her truest self. It was so soft yet touching for me. Because I was on a similar journey. Hearing that made me feel that I was not alone and there were people out there who went through or experienced the same thing as I did. That’s the power of sharing and being vulnerable! So let’s be more open and talk about what we feel. I was so happy we did follow each other in the end, will our paths crossover? I can't wait for the universe to uncover the answer for me.
Reflections
1. This time, for the volunteering experience, I did MC (Master of Ceremonies), instrument lockup and front gate. MC is still my favourite. I guess I just love performing, expressing myself and building connections.
2. It’s common and we are human.
As a singer, two of my biggest fears are forgetting about the lyrics and starting a song with a lower/higher key. But at the festival, I saw a few performers make those mistakes, and they just laughed away and restarted again. That made me feel better. It’s common and we are human. I didn’t feel a big deal as an audience watching those things too. So that is a reminder for me:
"It’s not about the perfection, but about being real and engaging with your audience."
I am getting there.
So, what do you feel after hearing about my journey? Does that make you think of anything? Leave your comment below.
What’s next?
Wirrina Bluegrass & Acoustic Roots Festival starting from Friday,25 November. I did my first MC gig last year there and enjoyed everyone’s company. This year, I will be doing MC again. On top of that, I have been asked to deliver a music workshop, sharing Chinese music and teaching people to sing a Chinese song. I hope to see you there. If you feel the price is too high, then join me in our lovely volunteer family, you won’t regret it.