Performing success!

philpot

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Hey guys! I know I haven't posted much lately. I've had a crazy senior year so far. Loads of homework, college prep, lots of scholarship applications, soccer, graduation prep, the whole nine yards. I haven't had hardly any free time! I've lurked around a bit though, so don't think I haven't kept up with all my favorite ukesters :)

I just wanted to share something with you guys that really made my week. This time last year was the first time I performed on stage by myself in a local talent competition. There were 20 acts, and I played pretty poorly. But it was that night that motivated me to push to play other places, so I sought out a local open mic night. I became a regular there and played once a week over the course of a few months. I grew more comfortable performing in front of people and participated in a different local talent competition where I failed to place.

Well, here I am a year later, performing at the same talent show that started it all. There were 24 acts this year, divided into 4 categories: Instrument & Vocals, Variety, Vocal solo (14 or younger), and Vocal solo (15 or older). Instrument & Vocals was the largest category, and guess what? I WON MY CATEGORY! I played The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel, a song I worked out on the uke a few months back. The judges loved it! The overall winner out of the four categories was decided by the audience vote, and a great singer won overall with a deep-voiced rendition of a popular country song. He earned it! Despite not placing first overall, I walked out with a $200 prize and a win to be proud of.

That alone would have been enough to be the highlight of my life. BUT. On my way out, one of the judges stopped me and asked if I ever performed in the area. When I said I had only done open mic nights, he asked if I wanted to do a showcase performance at a local venue! He took down my information and said he'd be in touch :D I'm so happy right now, I just had to tell someone. So I figured, why not share it with the amazing folks that have helped me along every step of my ukulele journey?

My purpose isn't just to brag on myself, I promise. It's really to thank all you guys for the fantastic help you offer through this forum. I learned how to perform thanks to all of you guys. My UU family is such a huge inspiration, and I think you guys share just as much of the credit as I do for my progress as a musician and a performer :)

Well, that's it! It's bedtime for me. It's good to be back, and I hope to meet some of you at UWC soon!


Blessings,
-Phil
 
Congratulations, that's fantastic! Good luck with your next performance and please do post a YouTube vid.
 
Awesome Sauce :)
 
Super! And looking forward to hearing you during the open mic at UWC!

John
 
Thanks so much guys! The prospect of playing local shows is really exciting. I'm hoping it works out! I'm trying to see if anyone caught a video of the competition last night, but no luck so far :p
 
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I love hearing stories like this -- so wonderful! I, too, will be on the lookout for you at UWC! :)
 
That's wonderful, sweetie!!!
 
That's super cool! Well done.
And good luck with your academic life as well! :)
 
I knew that once you had finished the six seasons, the sky was the limit!
 
I knew that once you had finished the six seasons, the sky was the limit!

Those seasons were certainly a huge stepping stone :D and look at what you started! Shewww, people are still running those things ;)
 
Wow, awesome! WTG!
 
Jealous, envious, and most happy for you all in the very best way! Boogie on...
 
Congratulations! When I started, I was playing everywhere... on campus, bus stops, airport, park, parties, etc... once I found out about open mics, it was over. I loved being able to try different things to get a different reaction and really loved being able to see the difference between players and performers. I learned so much by going to these open mics and am forever grateful for venues that hosted them.

Keep up the good work and hopefully you'll find a video to share! See you at UWC!
 
Congratulations!!!

I've never performed but your post has me thinking, . . . maybe some day!
 
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