All About that Microphone
By Claire Sauer
Hundreds of students are staring at me expectantly as I walk up the stairs and onto the stage. Hundreds of faces the don't know the obstacles I had to overcome to get to this point. Well, that is, if you count forgetting the guitar and having to make a trip from the hall to the music room and back again.
Then realising the guitar needed a strap and having to make yet another trip to the music room and back. Meantime discovering that the guitar and microphone wouldn't even connect to the speaker.
Then with only fifteen minutes left until the bell to get all the equipment set up and to do a sound check and rehearsal, finding that the issue is the guitar itself so we needed to get yet another guitar for the performance, then finally noticing that the new guitar doesn't need a strap and that I will have to use a chair instead, with only two minutes left until everyone comes rushing in, as a “few obstacles”.
But nevertheless, here I am, about to perform my own song. Phew!
Hundreds of students are staring at me expectantly as I walk up the stairs and onto the stage. Hundreds of faces the don't know the obstacles I had to overcome to get to this point. Well, that is, if you count forgetting the guitar and having to make a trip from the hall to the music room and back again.
Then realising the guitar needed a strap and having to make yet another trip to the music room and back. Meantime discovering that the guitar and microphone wouldn't even connect to the speaker.
Then with only fifteen minutes left until the bell to get all the equipment set up and to do a sound check and rehearsal, finding that the issue is the guitar itself so we needed to get yet another guitar for the performance, then finally noticing that the new guitar doesn't need a strap and that I will have to use a chair instead, with only two minutes left until everyone comes rushing in, as a “few obstacles”.
But nevertheless, here I am, about to perform my own song. Phew!
I sit down and pick up the guitar, then start strumming.
I remember to smile.
At first, everything seems to be going smoothly and the intro sounds great. Out of the corner of my eye I see the microphone slowly starting to slip down.
Down,
down,
down.
Away from me.
Away from my the sound coming out of my mouth as I'm trying to sing and play guitar at the same time. Before I know it the microphone is literally facing down towards the ground, and the audience can't hear a single word I'm singing!
As soon as I come to a pause in the pre chorus, I quickly re-adjust the mic so that it is in the right place again. After recovering from this small slip up, I continue into the chorus and the crowd seems to like my song.
Thankfully everything seems to be fine now. It stays like this until I get to the end of the next verse, when I again spy the traitorous microphone slipping out of my reach!
This time a boy who was sitting on stage comes over and grabs the microphone while whispering something to me which I didn't hear, so I stop playing briefly and say “huh?” This makes the audience laugh though this was NOT my intention.
I mean, who could blame me? I was simply trying to find out new information…
During my performance…
I remember to smile.
At first, everything seems to be going smoothly and the intro sounds great. Out of the corner of my eye I see the microphone slowly starting to slip down.
Down,
down,
down.
Away from me.
Away from my the sound coming out of my mouth as I'm trying to sing and play guitar at the same time. Before I know it the microphone is literally facing down towards the ground, and the audience can't hear a single word I'm singing!
As soon as I come to a pause in the pre chorus, I quickly re-adjust the mic so that it is in the right place again. After recovering from this small slip up, I continue into the chorus and the crowd seems to like my song.
Thankfully everything seems to be fine now. It stays like this until I get to the end of the next verse, when I again spy the traitorous microphone slipping out of my reach!
This time a boy who was sitting on stage comes over and grabs the microphone while whispering something to me which I didn't hear, so I stop playing briefly and say “huh?” This makes the audience laugh though this was NOT my intention.
I mean, who could blame me? I was simply trying to find out new information…
During my performance…
He kindly holds the microphone up for me as I finish the song, and the performance does actually go smoothly from this point on. I finally finish and the audience applauds as I walk off the stage. In hindsight, the whole experience of performing in front of the whole junior school was thrilling and I would definitely do it again, especially given the worst is already over. And anyway, at least now I know to CHECK THE MICROPHONE and do NOT leave a single detail to chance.
applause....
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