Singing and Entrepreneurship
Jan 27 2009

I just got back from a fabulous visit with my mom.  I even got to see my sister.  It was a much needed mini-life break, and it was nice to have the three of us together again.  I could use more of those breaks, but I’m just ever so grateful to have a place to run away for a little bit and a husband who I trust completely to take care of the kids while I’m gone…well maybe a few things get forgotten but everyone survived!

One of my new year non-resolutions was to sing more.  Since then, I’ve received an offer to sing with one of my bosses who I hardly see because he’s one, two (actually it’s unclear) levels above me, but he also happened to hire me to teach entrepreneurship back in the day so I know him reasonably well.   I’m not sure if or when that will happen, but I hear he’s a pretty good guitar player.  The other thing that happened is that my dear husband got me some singing lessons!

Now hubby has been hit and miss with presents…especially the big ones (when he hasn’t consulted with me first), but I have to say this gift was probably one of the more thoughtful ones he’s given me.  I was skeptical at first because he found the teacher online, and I had visions of some weird, washed up, wrinkled singer with a cane giving lessons because they couldn’t make it in the ‘real’ world.  But I was pleasantly proven wrong by Julie at Fiore Music Studio.  She has a great operatic voice.  I promptly told her I wasn’t interested in singing opera and she was totally fine with that.  She travels on tour from time to time.

I’ve taken 3 lessons so far and I’m down to my last one and will probably sign up for a few more.  The first lesson we just practiced warm ups and scales.  I left thinking, “Hmmm…not sure if I want to sing scales for the next several lessons.”  The second lesson she told me I had good pitch and an ear for music that is very hard to teach and in addition to singing scales we worked on one of my favorite hymns “Amazing Grace.”  I left more inspired to come back next time.  On my third visit we did some different warm up exercises and worked on “Summertime”  by George Gershwin.  For my next visit, I’ve printed out lyrics for “The Rose” sung by Bette Midler and “Blue Moon” sung by such greats at Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to work on.

The day of my first lesson, Julie and I were talking and she said something that struck me as she was describing singers.  She said something like “That’s why singers are neurotic.”  I said to myself  “Well darn the luck, so are most entrepreneurs! I’m doubly screwed if I decide to label myself a singer too.”  So there you have it, I’ve just discovered I’m qualified to be a singer…well at least on the neuroses scale. 😀

Now if there’s proof that someone has to be a little neurotic to run operations at a technology incubator, then it appears I have found myself existing at the right place in time to battle three neuroses.  Wish me luck.  There must be a professor writing a textbook in need of a research subject out there somewhere…

Author: Aruni | Filed under: entrepreneurship, singing | Tags: singing, voice lessons | Comments Off on Singing and Entrepreneurship

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