First of all in my defence I did not realize media were involved until after I’d arrived.
Today is Music Monday all across Canada - when all the schools across the country sing the same song at the same time...it's a very cool initiative, actually. The usual pianist for the school choir, etc. is out, so I was pinch hitting. After singing the main song, each class performed as well as choir and handbells.
I get very nervous playing piano/singing in front of scads of people. It gets worse when 2 tv stations and radio are present. Then complete chaos from the wrists down when I realize that someone has the camera six inches from my head. *shudders* I will be trying to block that out for some time.
I should have taken a lesson from my daughter. She’s 10. She spent a half hour being interviewed afterwards and was cool as a cucumber. I did 2 minutes and ended up blabbing like a first class idiot in answer to the questions and turned the precise shade of pink as my sweater (Did I mention the misfortune of throwing on something MAGENTA coloured this morning?). This effectively negated the slim smattering of makeup I’d put on at the last minute. Or the untamed mess that was my hair that was at least clean and held back by a headband.
My only hope is that they do a 2 minute segment on the whole thing, and either cut me out or/and don’t make me look like a completely incompetent blathering nincompoop.
All of the advice of my fellow authors went right out of my head...nevermind that I anticipated that some day in the distant future I'd likely be doing an interview for my writing career not as a mom/musician. Any of you who have done media stuff like this….well done. I might just be scarred for life now.
And as a reward for making it through this post...
The details of my May contest are up...winners get a signed advance copy of my August book FALLING FOR MR DARK AND DANGEROUS as well as some bookmarks and a Mills and Boon postcard commemorating some covers of the past.
This contest is open to my newsletter subscribers, so if you're not signed up, there's a box to do so on my webpage and blog (links below in my sigline).
Donna
THE SOLDIER'S HOMECOMING, Romance, March 08, Aus/NZ April 08
FALLING FOR MR DARK AND DANGEROUS, Romance, August 08
THE RANCHER'S RUNAWAY PRINCESS, Romance, January 09
http://www.donnaalward.com
http://www.donnaalward.blogspot.com
re: Music Monday
Too funny...I loved reading this post, but I'm sure you didn't come across as flustered as you felt!
I'm in Canada too but hadn't heard of Music Monday before...was it started recently? What song were all the kids singing this year?
Donna, I bet you were awesome.
Thank you for a wonderful chuckle.
How cool to be able to play the piano. I played the clarinet in school but always wished we could afford piano lessons.
I would like to know what the song was as well.
Angel
"I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
www.angelinabarbin.blogspot.com
Our Song
The title is OUR SONG and was commissioned for the day in particular. The duet that wrote and performed it is called DALA and I think the address is www.musicmonday.ca. You should certainly be able to find it if you google.
I taped the news as we were out car shopping. CBC had a brief clip of my daughter and a few blips of me as I was playing. But City TV (Chum's network here) did a bigger piece, and showed a good part of my interview as well as bits from my daughter. And you're right. It didn't look anywhere near as horrid as I expected.
We can thank young good looking English reporter for that, I expect. :-)
Donna
THE SOLDIER'S HOMECOMING, Romance, March 08, Aus/NZ April 08
FALLING FOR MR DARK AND DANGEROUS, Romance, August 08
THE RANCHER'S RUNAWAY PRINCESS, Romance, January 09
http://www.donnaalward.com
http://www.donnaalward.blogspot.com
The link was good
for Our Song. I loved the guitar. Very appropriate for little ones to sing as they find their own songs.
Donna, what a gift to share in such a wonderful moment with all those children.
Angel
"I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
www.angelinabarbin.blogspot.com
Oh my, being filmed for
Oh my, being filmed for TV would be scary, even more so when we don't feel we're looking our best. Really glad you weren't as dishevelled looking on live TV as you thought you'd be.
I'd never heard the song "Our Song", but curiosity had me going to "You Tube" to listen to it. What a beautifull sounding song.
Kathy D
Love the song and the purpose
What a great way to bring the country together. I love the song! I'm listening to it right now. I wish the good ol' USA did something like this.
Thanks for sharing your experience, my dear. It sounds like it ended up better than you thought.
~Kristen
"You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be--
I had a mother who read to me."
--Strickland Gillilan
I feel the same. I'm hooked
I feel the same. I'm hooked on this song and the words and their voices, and have listened to it several times now.
I had dh listen to it tonight (me too of course) and he really liked it as well.
I find it a very relaxing & stress relieving song.
Kathy D
What a great way...
to bring the country together, united in song.
years ago, I participated in something called "Hands Accross America". Where we stood hand in hand with the whole country.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hands_Across_America
It was really fun. It raised awareness and money for hunger and poverty in the world. We even sang an impromptu "We Are the World" while standing in the middle of the street.
Terri
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