| Not
everybody who sings and writes songs becomes a famous recording
artist with huge concert appearances and multi-million dollar
contracts. Some perform for children at parties. Some enjoy
doing weddings and other special ceremonies. Some might hold
regular jobs during the day and take to the stage in the evenings.
From the
group that practices in Dad's garage and dreams of fame to
the singer/songwriter who prefers performing only at church
or for friends, every level is possible. Not many will hit
the top with world tours and buckets of cash. But for those
who love music, have a gift for creating their own songs and
refuse to quit, there's always hope.
Interview
with Mary LaFleur:
With 10
brothers and sisters in her family growing up, Mary Lafleur
couldn't help being musical. Almost everyone played guitar.
"That's what we did for fun," she says with a wide
smile, "and we still do." By the time she reached
8th grade, Mary played guitar, too, mostly self-taught with
help from chord books and a sister. Even as a little girl,
she knew she was meant to sing. "I sang my sisters to
sleep," she says, and she worried that she might "never
be in the right place at the right time" to begin a singing
career.
And though
she pursued her education to get a regular job to pay the
bills, she laughingly explains that she "kind of fell
into music." More likely she just couldn't shake off
those early hopes and dreams. Eventually she found herself
in Nashville, going after those dreams. Though pretty much
self-educated in her music, she "immersed herself"
in the music scene, reading, studying, and attending workshops
to learn about songwriting. She worked hard. During that period
of her life she says, "I just wrote a lot of songs."
She stuck
with it, finally deciding to produce her own music and promote
it herself. She moved from Christian songs into music for
children, and her first major effort, "Pink Elephants,"
won the Parents' Choice Gold Award. Booking concerts to perform
at schools, libraries, community centers, festivals, children's
museums and more, Mary kept busy singing and playing her guitar.
She got her name and her music out there, and listeners responded
with sheer pleasure.
When she
performs, she lights up from inside, eyes dancing with excitement
and voice lilting. Children respond with delight as she includes
them in every performance, using puppets, costumes and a wide
variety of props to entertain and enliven the show. Her creative
music continues winning awards and drawing enthusiastic fans.
Though
best known for her music, Mary loves many forms of creativity,
penning riddles and poetry as well as songs. And if you wonder
where her song ideas come from, they're everywhere-she sees
songs in fragments of conversation with family or a casual
comment on a street corner. Creativity flows through her everywhere
she goes and everything she does-that's just who she is.
Listen
to one of Mary's songs!
What
You Can Do to Get Ready:
Mary suggests
you sing your songs for friends: "Be open to feedback."
She also warns "not to expect a lot of money right away."
Be willing, she advises, "to sing anywhere, at church,
for friends, for free to get started."
Though
she was mostly self-taught, it never hurts to study and prepare,
take classes, soak up any training you can get. Practice and
work hard, then stick with it and believe in yourself.
What
it Pays:
Mary explains
that how much you earn often depends on how well you promote
yourself, get your music out there, book appearances and sell
CDs. With enough bookings/appearances, it's possible to earn
$30,000 to $40,000 doing the sort of shows she does.
For other
types of singer/songwriters the work might be part-time while
they support themselves with day jobs. Others might find steady
work going on the road or performing locally. For a special
few who reach the top, their earnings might be well above
$50,000 and possibly far above that.
Other
Resources:
Be
A Singer
Grammy
in the Schools
Careers
in Music
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