Blue Skies and Cloudy Days

Hello everyone I am  pleased to inform you that I will not only be playing at White Oak for February but also March. I decided to do this because I only played three days in January, and I feel it will give me more experience for performing in the future. This week I will also be playing at a different time from 5:15-5:45 which will also probably be more of a crowd. This will give me a better feel for what it will be like for playing for big crowds in the future and I think I will get a better response out of them. I also decided to change this time because Mrs. Brown said it would really make their day since they have nothing to do before dinner. I originally thought this would be a bad time since it was so late and they might be cranky. Hopefully everything will work out and they will have a great time!

These times are a changing!

As the title suggests named after the famous Bob Dylan song my project will have slight changes. First off instead of playing my normal time at White Oak, 3:00-3:30 , I will now be changing my time to 5:15-5:45 for February. The main reason I will be rescheduling is because I would not be able to play every friday like I planned since they have so many activities planned ahead of time. Another reason I will be playing at a later time is due to Mrs. Zion. She told me that her mother, a resident at a nursing home, was very bored before dinner and suggested I would have a bigger crowd to play for as well as it would be good entertainment for them. I plan to keep practicing my songs still before each Friday to make sure I will not get rusty.

Practice Makes Perfect!

It seems like I started this project and now the time has finally come for me to perform these songs. I always thought I would have more time to practice, but homework was a big obstacle. I always try to balance work and play but sometimes work just encompasses your time. I have been practicing my guitar as much as I can, but I still need to work on amplifying my voice in front of people. I have always liked the idea of being a rock star and thought that singing would not be a problem. I can sing in the shower, my room, I even sing along to Nickel Back's photograph with the windows rolled down. When it comes to singing to people face to face my voice kind of wavers and I sing softer. I plan to overcome this obstacle by singing as best I can and not worry too much if I am not the next American Idol or not. Another problem I did not count on was braces being thrust back upon me, which makes my voice really lispy ha ha! No matter what happens I will take my remaining time and prepare the  best I can, and I will give those cool cats the best performance they have ever had!

Setting the Dates!

Today I went to see Mrs. Brown at White Oak to discuss the time and days I would come in to play. So far we have agreed to me playing for 30 minutes after school for two Fridays in January and 3 Fridays in February. I plan to work on my final time line with writing down the exact dates and times as well as how many songs I will play. I have also made some more friends whose names are Johnathan and Edith. Johnathan is a former WWII veteran who had some great stories. He told me about D day and how he and his friends stormed the beach while bullets were flying every where. He also told me how important service to your country is so important. Edith on the other hand was a stay at home mom, but she did play a mean game of chess. I was lucky enough to play a quick game with her, which was intense. Here strategies were phenomenal and when I cornered her king I thought I had here. In the end she took my last piece out with her rook. Then surrounded my King I finally surrendered. She made me feel better finally revealing she was a state champion at chess. At the end of the day I was so happy to meet some incredible people.

Tis the Season to be Jolly!

As the seasons change the dates of my performances draw closer. In the past two months I have worked tediously at my research paper and have finally succeeded in the completion of it. Although I have had this paper take up the majority of my time I have still practiced my songs rigorously. I have also visited White Oak quite a bit meeting a lot of interesting residents whose personalities jump right off the page. I plan to visit them this Friday as well as plan out the exact days I will come in and perform. I also plan to work on a new song by the zodiacs and add that to my play list. I hope that all my readers have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

The Auto- Biography of a Brave man in a Salon

When I went to White Oak last Friday I was not really expecting much. I envisioned it as little room with all the senior women crammed in there doing their nails and spraying toxic chemicals in their. I was right about the toxic chemicals I should have worn a gas mask nonetheless I still went. This time I actually played my guitar for these lovely women as they got their nails done. At first I started with some soft background music and then slowly progressed to a faster pace. Then they requested me to play some Hispanic oriented music unfortunately I had to improvise. I had a great time playing for these interesting women and when one of them said I should write a auto -biography on being the only brave man to enter a Salon. I never laughed so much in my life. They should start a tv show Grandparents say the darnest things!

Smile for the Camera!

It has been a concern from my followers that I am not adding exciting photos to spice my blogs up. Well I have gone back in each of my blogs and added some meaningful pictures to capture the reader more. This is not the only news I have though unfortunately I had to cancel playing at the Hospice House because the board feels I will have a better experience at the nursing home since they do not have a terminal illness. Another reason being the board feels I will be closer and have a better outcome if I keep coming back to play at the same place. Another reason why I have decided not to play at the Hospice House is because I do not think that the patients would be aware of me even playing. Also the family might want to visit with them and I do not want to get in the way of that.