So the Austin Songswriter's Symposium was wonderful. Great speakers with valuable information to impart, thoughtful and valuable critiques from the publishers and some fun and awesome songs shared in the song circles. I knew the community of songwriters here in Austin had a reputation for being very supportive no matter your level of expertise or how long anyone in the group has known you. This alone would have left me with the warm fuzzies for days afterward but the moment that took me aback and made my grinch-like heart grow several sizes larger came at a most unexpected moment and it blew me away.
James Slater, the Symposium's guest star songwriter, was on stage and, just for fun, called his young publisher up to sing a duet with him. I'm still not sure if this was planned, I don't think it was. I'm sure she knew the song, after all, she was his publisher, but she was definitely not his back-up singer that was for sure. He handed her a piece of paper with the lyrics and she sheepishly took the stage.
What followed was every singer's nightmare. Nerves got the best of her and she couldn't, to save her life, find her note. It was so obvious and awkward that he had to stop the song and assist her. It was a brutal moment for her, and I know for me and every vocalist watching. "How could he do this to her", I thought. This is cruel. As she continued to struggle I feared, "How is she ever going to leave the stage with any dignity?"
Then the beauty began to unfold before my eyes. James, with patience and his belief in her, guided her to her note and once again began to sing his part and play the song. He smiled encouragingly at her, never doubting that she could do this. More amazing was how the audience, patiently watched with complete willingness to be there with her in that moment without judgement. As she began to gain her confidence and sing her part, there was cheering and applause. Right there before my eyes I watched her transform and by the last verse her voice matched James' in power and clarity and beauty.
When the song was over, the crowd cheered loudly, some standing, everyone smiling. It was a moment of true artistic community support on a scale I'd never experienced. Had we been anywhere else, we would never have known that Hannah has a beautiful voice. And James and the Austin Songwriters Group have beautiful souls.
James Slater, the Symposium's guest star songwriter, was on stage and, just for fun, called his young publisher up to sing a duet with him. I'm still not sure if this was planned, I don't think it was. I'm sure she knew the song, after all, she was his publisher, but she was definitely not his back-up singer that was for sure. He handed her a piece of paper with the lyrics and she sheepishly took the stage.
What followed was every singer's nightmare. Nerves got the best of her and she couldn't, to save her life, find her note. It was so obvious and awkward that he had to stop the song and assist her. It was a brutal moment for her, and I know for me and every vocalist watching. "How could he do this to her", I thought. This is cruel. As she continued to struggle I feared, "How is she ever going to leave the stage with any dignity?"
Then the beauty began to unfold before my eyes. James, with patience and his belief in her, guided her to her note and once again began to sing his part and play the song. He smiled encouragingly at her, never doubting that she could do this. More amazing was how the audience, patiently watched with complete willingness to be there with her in that moment without judgement. As she began to gain her confidence and sing her part, there was cheering and applause. Right there before my eyes I watched her transform and by the last verse her voice matched James' in power and clarity and beauty.
When the song was over, the crowd cheered loudly, some standing, everyone smiling. It was a moment of true artistic community support on a scale I'd never experienced. Had we been anywhere else, we would never have known that Hannah has a beautiful voice. And James and the Austin Songwriters Group have beautiful souls.