JayBeacham.com-A Voice as an Instrument

new lens on squidoo.com/jaysverse

No comments »

y, April 25, 2009

Singing update Last year in July, I started on the karaoke available here on My Space. I did the ten free songs. One I re-did.  I’ve gotten some nice compliments and some more critical too. But as I wrote on July 11, 08, this is for fun not to try to impress anyone. I’ll probably pay for a year when I can afford to and try some more. And singing can be fun. The computer I now have actually plays the recordings so I can listen to other great singers and even some not so great. But like I said then if you’ve got the guts to try, that says a lot. I hate auditions. Let me explain. Once I did an audition for a college group. I passed the first one and then for the second one I changed songs. A mistake I’m sure. I didn’t really like the rules of the group.  And even though the group represented the university, students were the judges. They were kind but the audience, mostly the girls would have stoned me I’m sure had rocks been available. I didn’t get in but lost no tears over it. Still I dislike auditions as generally the director of, say a play, picks who he or she wants or thinks will fit the part. I know this having been a director myself.. At another college audition, a non-singer got a singing part because the director had promised him a part. The funny thing about that was that at the performance time many of the fine singers had the flu and sounded worse than the non-singer did. But the play’s several showings went well anyway inspite of some less than perfect warbling. Fast forward to 2009, I was very impressed with Susan Boyle and Paul Potts on Britains’s Got Talent. They both proved what I’ve always said: “Many of the best singers, male and female, and actors and actresses will never get the chance to be known by the world.” Its great that they got their chance. Also on that series, a trio of young girls (Soul something or other) started but were stopped by the judges who exclaimed that they were very bad. And they did this in a less than kind fashion. The one girl admitted that they were perhaps bad but that their rude handling by the judges was not right. I agree. I think that it would take a lot of courage to go onto a TV broadcast and before an audience of 4000.  This should have at least brought an acknowledgement of their bravery if nothing else. The girl had another good point, Wouldn’t it be great if the judges there or in any such thing, performed something to show that they had a right to judge? I’ve been to karaoke nights where when things are slow or not very good, the DJ will do a song or two to demonstrate how it can be done. They are always very good but of course they do have an advantage having heard the arrangement and practiced before showing up that night, where the audience members have no clue what is even available before that evening. A member of the Master Singers, a male chorus I belong to, and his wife stopped me at the Boy Scout Expo this morning to ask why I was missing practices. I’ve been busy with Lincoln Shows and my own storytelling-singing shows. Sunday we are to sing in a Church service. Not having practiced, I’ll not go. I have been invited to join the Southern Utah Heritage Choir by two of its members. That’s twice in a week. They go to Singapore in October to sing. It would be fun. But what with dues, travel costs and lost wages,etc.(I can sing in the church choir for free). Etc. being that planes and I don’t get along to well. Which brings me to my close. I leave you today with my poem to airsickness. To Airsickness When I was but a little lad, I used to think I’d be quite glad To be above the clouds, you see, My parents would be proud of me. But since I’ve grown a little bit, I’ve several times been forced to sit Aboard those airplanes, both big and small, And pleasure from the flying feat Was all lost there in my seat. You think it funny, what I say? I used the bag again today, And rued the day as little lad I’d thought that flying would make me glad. Jay

No comments »

The last time I wrote about my e-commerce experience was on Feb. 6 of this year.

I got a Homestead free site and then later a paid site with them. I was excited to get this site and the web-wizard worked at times very well and I was in business adding pages. I even transferred all of my other site’s pages to this one and for $19.95 per month (I could pay by the year), I was pleased. But my Sky-biz site pages couldn’t be edited and much of it became outdated and even wrong so I eventually dropped the site in order to get rid of the wrong info. Didn’t know what else to do, Steve was busy in the Air Force and couldn’t help.

My free access to read and publish my poetry on poetry.com ended and I transferred my Photoworks photo albums to my email and off onto a disc. And left those two concerns.

I took some old computer parts to a computer whiz and for $115 he made me a great working computer. My son Steve even contributed a part for me.

Where to next? Well the next time I write about my e-experience, I’ll get into “how to spend money and earn nothing”.  See you then.

No comments »

Today I heard the story of “William’s rock soup” again and it made me think that I should share it and the  lessons learned from it.

It seems that William was a British soldier in the Americas during the colonial revolution. He got separated from his troops and became lost. He came upon a settlement when he was very hungry. He went to every house and asked for food but got none because the colonists said they had none to share and were hungry too.

William put his wit to work and took his cooking pot and made a fire under it and filled it with snow to melt. He did this in the town square in full sight of all the residence’s houses.

When the snow became water, he stirred it with his spoon and sniffed the  aroma. The town’s folk became curious and not only watched him from their doorways and windows but soon gathered around the fire to observe his strange behavior when he put three large, round stones into the brew.  When several were gathered around him and asked what he was cooking.  William spooned up a taste of his concoction,  sipped it and exclaimed that this “rock soup” was great but would taste better yet had it an onion or two in it. To this remark an old man said he had an onion or two and went off to fetch them. When he returned, the onions were added to the stew and after a while, William again tasted it and exclaimed it to be wonderful but had it but some carrots and potatoes, it would surely be not only better but exceptional.  Other by-standers went and fetched those very items and they were added to the stew.

After cooking a spell, William again tasted it and got a bowl of the mix and gave it to the old man who had provided the onions. The man ate the bowl of soup and then exclaimed that it was the best “Rock Soup” he’d ever tasted.  Then William and all the rest ate their fill.

The moral is that by working together everyone’s needs can be met.

No comments »

4/18/09

Sold more Lincoln’s Ghost videos. Only have two left. James needs to make more copies soon so you can obtain your’s without delay.

No comments »

On the 12, 13, 14, and 16 of the month I was again at the St.George opera house as the pre-show for “Singing Cowboys”, a melodrama readers theater, prefaced by a four man lead sing-a-long of familiar old west songs(3 of the four played guitars).

I got the crowd in the mood with a spoken and part sung rendition of “Walkin’ Home”, “No room for a cow”(my own composition), and “The Ugliest Man in Washngton County Utah”.

I was a hit but then the whole show was too.

No comments »

April 18th, 2009 at Twin Lakes HOA monthly potluck get together hired me as the entertainment. I Started the show with “Walkin’ Home”, followed by my own song:”No room for a cow”. Then the folks learned the true story of the “Ugliest man in Washington County Utah”. That was followed by the “Green Cheese moon”. Then the program took on a different sound as I sang”Sing anything”, then “Streets of Laredo”(helped of course by the audience). We all tried “Give my Regards to Broadway”. I did most of “Plenty of Nuttin'” by myself(people like to sing along, don’t you?) and then we all had a great time with “Waltzin’ Matilda” and then I even got some assistence with “Ole Man River” to end my show.  Shelia Dutton, the director of the county fair poetry competition came in late with two other women and a baby during the songs and requested  a story after the singing. I told the crowd the St.George Live script version that I give when I portray Jacob Hamblin, Mormon pioneer and peacemaker to the Indians. I thanked them for being such a fine audience and then stepped out side to tell the “Ugliest man” story and “No room for a cow” to the three women who came late. (I either enter the poetry competition at the fair, which includes the reading of one’s own poems, and entertain while awaiting the judges decisions or just entertain the folks. I haven’t made it the last two years but plan on it this year.)

Then I got to eat after the others left and spoke with the Entertainment Director, Barbara Hunt(a newspaper entertainment and book reviewer) and to a Judy who sings with the Southern Utah Heritage Choir(the choir is going to sing in Singapore in Oct. this year). The food was great as was the audience and the company after wards.

No comments »

Update: Promo and parts 1 & 2 are on Metacafe.

Check it out.

No comments »

All five parts pf the Feb. 12th show dvd are online at You Tube.

No comments »