X

Confidence Booster Blog

‘Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’

18 Feb, 2022 | Return|

In the powerful Netflix documentary ‘Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’, I was struck by this statement that was made approximately 50 years ago by the First Lady of Soul Nina Simone, she said “an artist duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.  And at this crucial time in our lives, when everything is so desperate, when every day is a matter of survival, I don’t think you have a choice.  How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?”.

She saw being a musician as a civic duty.  To get her ideas out to the people and share from her heart, how she saw what was happening in her world.  A woman who created music in spite of the storms brewing in her inside and outside world.  

Nina Simone’s statement was powerful because artists are people who create through their personalities and life experiences. Being honest with yourself and keeping your heart open will produce something that is authentically you. If you want your music to touch your audience, it has to touch you first. 

 Are you releasing this song you are singing passionately and not allowing any doubt to obstruct the flow of the message you are releasing through your voice, body, and facial expressions. Are you singing the song because you really believe it, or are you going through the motions?  Are you only acting, or have you absorbed and digested the song and made it your own so that when you sing it your audience believes you?

Conformity kills creativity, so please let everything you create flow from a place of honesty. You are the instrument and it is through who you are that the audience will hear, see and feel your message.  Keep working on that technique, infuse playfulness in your regular practice time, keep experimenting and never stop learning.  But most of all, stay as relaxed as you can and trust yourself. 

If you agree with Nina Simone and feel that you as a musician want to ‘reflect the times’ from your point of view, then meditate on the words of Carlos Santana who said, “the most valuable possession you can own is an open heart.  The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace.”


Take care and keep on singing,
Roxanne Goodman
The Confidence Booster

Related

You’ve Got WINGS!

You’ve Got WINGS!

My vocal and performance students know that they can have the confidence to stand in front of an aud...

Read More >
Your Voice and LOVE!

Your Voice and LOVE!

I believe that love is literally the substance that coaxes us out of our shells. We need to feel saf...

Read More >
Practice to Progressively get better!

Practice to Progressively get better!

My Father recently passed away because he courageously decided to put an end to his battle with canc...

Read More >
SINGERS, take care of your instrument, it’s the only one you’ve got!

SINGERS, take care of your instrument, it’s the only one you’ve got!

People are usually focused on the method that they must learn and develop if they are going to ...

Read More >
Courage to Sing

Courage to Sing

What does it take for a person to stand on stage and sing for an audience knowing that they will not...

Read More >
Act is the Blossom of Thought

Act is the Blossom of Thought

“Act is the blossom of thought. And joy and suffering are its fruit.” -James Allen (from As A Man ...

Read More >