Stranger jing-a-jings

 Oh.

 

I see.

 

You thought this was going to be a weekly, regular occurrence. Like I did 13 years ago.

 

No.

 

Sorry.

 

In fact, the only reason I decided to re-start this blog was after I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t force out articles once a week, adding more pressure to my already depressing life.

 

Anyway…

 

Caution: This blog post contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 5. Read at your own risk.

 

I’m not going to focus so much on what actually happens in season 5. Instead, I’m going to focus on my biggest gripe with the show as a whole, and that’s the separate plotlines. 

 

Look, I get it. You have to break up characters so that each mini group can reveal a small piece of the puzzle, saving the big ultimate reveal for the last episode. But my favorite part of Stranger Things is really any part of the show where the characters actually come together and we can see everyone react to everyone else.

 

This similar problem is also the reason the MCU drives me nuts. But I’ll save that for another time…

 

However, as any opportune moment does, this made me think about a cappella. Can we learn something from Stranger Things?

 

Is it better to stay separate for a long time, and then come together only when everyone is ready?

 

Hear me out…because I argue there are positives to this way of rehearsing.

 

Yes, obviously the group needs to blend and the only way to blend is to sing together. But in a big group of singers, like a college or high school group, really the only way to achieve blend is to get each section to sound like one voice, then put all the voices together.

 

Spoilers coming….Watch out…

 

Only when the song achieves its perfect blend can the soloist really turn into the powerful Will The Wise. 

 

Next rehearsal, try this:

 

1)    Separate each section and place them in a different space, away from everyone else.

2)    Spend the entire portion of that “sectional” on achieving a one-voice blend. Record yourselves singing, listen back, fix, repeat.

3)    When you think you have it (or you’re close), join up with one other section and put those two voices together. Continue this pattern until you end up with two large groups coming together to form one giant mass of people.

 

My favorite scene in season 5 (spoilers) is the one and only scene where every single character (minus Vecna and Holly) convene at the radio station to formulate a plan. The best dialogue comes from these interactions. The funniest jokes come from these interactions. The most exciting build up comes from this interaction.

 

What your group is doing on a regular basis (probably) is skipping right to this scene by rehearsing all together. But this blunts the impact of the fact that everyone is in the same room at the same time. To really feel the power of this scene, you need to have gone through multiple perspectives, each following a small group of characters first. Why shouldn’t it be the same in a cappella?

 

Honestly, I even thought the finale was disappointing, only because Hopper wasn’t with the rest of the cast as they fought the (you-know-who). That blunted the impact of the battle, especially because Hopper was the lead “action hero.”

 

For the record (going waaaaaay off topic here), I loved the finale. I thought they nailed it. Powerful, emotional, and just ambiguous enough to crave more content. This finale goes in the “good pile,” where so few television shows lay.

 

Okay back to bending a cappella. Let’s address something else--a major character arc…Will. (Mega spoilers coming!)

 

Only when Will accepts who he truly is (he’s gay), does he unlock the power to tap into the hive mind and gain powers. It takes him five seasons, and a looooooong speech from Robin, but he eventually gets there, and in the final battle, he claims “We’re not afraid of you anymore.”

 

Here’s something else a cappella groups can learn from Stranger Things—the idea of identity.

 

Sit down for a moment. Comfortable? Great. Ask yourself this question:

 

What is your group’s identity?

 

I don’t mean you’re a singing group, you sing without instruments, you’re part of the a cappella hive mind, blah blah blah. I mean, what separates you from all the others? What makes you special? What makes you unique?

 

I’d wager you truly don’t know the answer to this question. You think you know it, but in reality, you don’t. 

 

If you want to survive in this rapidly expanding world, you need to figure it out. Because when you figure it out, “you’re free” as Robin would say. And then you can kill the Demogorgons.

 

Last thing (I swear). The idea of the “hive mind” I think rings especially true in a cappella. We are a single community made up of thousands of people who love to sing. But more than that, what someone does over here directly affects what someone does over there.

 

Say Ball in The House (hi guys!) puts on a great concert at Rando Calrissian high school. The audience loves it, they go online to listen to more. They spread the word that a cappella is awesome on social media, where it’s viewed by someone in San Francisco. It inspires a group there to put on a great concert, so they can be as cool as BITH.

 

It’s all connected. What you do affects all of us. When Pentatonix hit number 1 on the Billboard chart for the first time in 2016 (date?), it wasn’t just a victory for them. It was a victory for every a cappella singer in the world, because it legitimized our art form and proved that a cappella singing is marketable. Even now, when Pentatonix releases their latest holiday nightmare seasonal album, it brings a cappella into the public eye yet again.

 

Just remember that we are all connected. There’s no reason to hope a group fails, or hope a performance falls apart, because believe it or not, it hurts you too.

 

To wrap things up, let me just say this: Winona Ryder is the GOAT.

 

Marc Silverberg

Marcesilverberg.com

@docacappella on Instagram

What Two Numbers Come After 5?

First, some old business. Let me review my to-do checklist…

 

-Prematurely announce the death of a cappella and piss everyone off? Check.

-Post a political blog and piss everyone off? Check.

-Bite the hand that feeds me by attacking the very Facebook group where I advertise my blog posts, thereby pissing everyone off? Check. Mate.

 

Okay. On to new business.

 

I learned about the 6-7 phenomenon while I was teaching a theatre class last summer. I asked the kids what it meant and none of them could give me a straight answer:

 

“It just means cool.”

“It’s just something we do.”

“It means you’re in the know.”

“It’s a way to annoy adults.”

 

Regardless of what 6-7 means (which I still don’t truly know), we can all agree that 6-7, along with terms such as “Rizz” and “Ohio” belong to Gen-Alpha. I imagine the two types of people that are having the hardest time dealing with this are math teachers and music teachers. But I digress…

 

In my opinion, I say if you’ve ever uttered any of the following phrases, you don’t really have a right to get upset about it:

 

“Did I do that?”

“Cowabunga!”

“Aaaaaaaaaall righty then”

“Aca-excuse me?”

“That song slaps”

“You got it dude”

“Talk to the hand”

“As if!”

“Da bomb”

“What’s the 411?”

“Not!”

“Oh snap!”

“Fo shizzle”

“Take a chill pill”

“You got served”

“Amazeballs”

“W00T!”

“Jabroni”

“Bae”

“On fleek”

“YOLO”

“You slayed”

“Netflix and chill”

“That’s lit.”

“That’s fire.”

“Yeet”

“Humblebrag”

“Cut. It. Out.”

“That’s fly”

“Going postal”

“I’m outtie”

“Schwing!”

“That’s my name don’t wear it out!”

“Fetch”

“That’s sick”

“Chillax”

“Biatch”

“Dawg”

“Peeps”

“Yo mamma”

“Like”

“Totally Tubular”

“Gag me with a spoon”

“Fer sure”

“Radical”

“No duh”

“Bodacious”

“Gnarly”

“Don’t have a cow”

“Psych!”

“That’s bogus”

“What’s your damage?”

“Like a boss”

“Party on!”

“Like, oh my god”

“Eat my shorts”

“I’ll be back”

“Hasta la vista baby”

“Show me the money”

“Hello Newman”

“Y’ello?”

“All that and a bag of chips”

“My bad”

“Whatever”

“I’m the captain now”

“Bazinga!”

“Wubba lubba dub dub!”

“Pop pop!”

“Treat yo’ self”

“Winter is coming”

“Winning!”

“Double rainbow!”

 

 

6-7 doesn’t really bother me all that much, but to be fair, I’m not working full time in a school right now, so I don’t get bombarded with it 6 to 7 times a day (oh God damn it!). Gen Alpha, the current group of kids/teens, are a community; One that shares and spreads the latest fad based off of the most recent Tik Tok video or popular song. 

It’s kind of like they have their own language, they understand the same things, they grab influence from a specific number of sources and create their own content, they have a set of unspoken rules that everyone follows.

 

Oh. Whoops. I just described the a cappella community.

 

This post is about the social aspect of a cappella. Never mind the technical arranging jargon or the never-ending plight of the soloist. Let’s all sit down and really look at what’s going on.

 

When I had an adult a cappella group in the 2010s, I was the director, so I had to be the bad guy. I had to keep everyone focused, keep everyone on task, deal with any fallout, etc. That left little time to socialize. While my soprano, alto, and bass were all sharing cat memes, I was busy plunking out notes and correcting mistakes.

 

Even though I could comfortably call each member my friend, I always felt like there was this me-against-them dynamic that prevented me from having fun.

 

Now before I go any further, I do have disclose the following:

1)    I’m a workaholic with a tendency to micromanage. 

2)    At the time, I was obsessed with winning.

3)    I did this to myself.

 

My soprano said it best when she compared me to Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh: Always there, always part of the group, too focused on what wasn’t important, and down all the time. (Although, to be fair to Eeyore…his tail was attached via hammer and nail. That’s rough)

 

Ever since the pandemic broke us apart and we all became baby factories, I’ve thought about those years. I wish I could travel back in time and slap my younger self in the face over and over again. Because these are the memories you’re creating. You don’t get a second chance to fix your mistakes.

 

I guess this is a roundabout way of saying I. HATE. SAUERKRAUT! that I can speak from experience. Focus on the here and now. Focus on the socializing, not the competition. When you do eventually go to competition, focus on the travel, not the destination. Take it from the 43-year-old who has been there and not done that.

 

Because I’ll tell ya…The moment you stop thinking about winning and just craft a set that makes everyone happy, you-eventually-get-second-place-in-a-competition-where-you-thought-there’s-no-possible-way-on-Earth-you’d-even-register-with-a-single-judge.

 

But look, I get it. Socializing takes time and time is not a commodity you can spend while you’re designing your next competition set. To properly have your cake and eat it too, you need extra time. And adding extra time is next-to-impossible with everyone’s busy schedules.

 

Instead of fretting over when the whole group is going to socialize, maybe start smaller. Host some kind of party/game night/blood sacrifice ritual and whoever shows up, shows up. If socializing was a priority for these people, they’d find the time.

 

Here are some suggestions for adding more social time into your a cappella rehearsal without minimizing your rehearsal time.

 

1)    Sectionals. Hear me out, because I know you probably break into voice parts to rehearse already. I’m talking about using sectionals in a different way.

 

The next time you have a rehearsal, have every member of the group take out a stopwatch (or the stopwatch on your phone). Every moment they are NOT singing, they start the stopwatch, and every time they sing they pause the stopwatch.

 

I’ll bet that each member of your group is spending a minimum of 15-20 minutes of your rehearsal not singing. They’re probably not doing anything but waiting around for their turn to rehearse. Is there some other way to better spend that amount of time?

 

Plan your rehearsal accordingly: Know which sections are going to need rehearsal time. While those sections rehearse, let the remaining members of your group go somewhere else and socialize. Maybe even give them a social assignment. This idea will eliminate boredom, fidgeting, and obsessively sharing cat memes while everyone else is trying to sing.

2)  Icebreakers. Let me guess...you don’t start rehearsal on time. Do you? The first 20 minutes or so are spent waiting around for the remainder of the group, or chugging through repetitive warm-ups that everyone can do in their sleep.

 

One activity we did in Satellite Lane (my group) that I really enjoyed was the “fun break.” Each week, a different member of the group would prepare a fun 5-10 minute activity that we could all do together. This eliminated some of our “waiting around” time; time that we would have wasted doing nothing.

 

I know the term “Icebreakers” makes you (and me) want to vomit. I always saw Icebreakers as a way to “get to know everyone” in a setting where you were only going to spend maybe an hour with these people and then never see them again. Look, if I’m 99% positive that we will never meet again, I genuinely don’t care that you’re a Scorpio or that your dog just learned how to shake. 

 

But Icebreakers are more than just annoying exercises designed to make you feel uncomfortable and waste your time. The right ones can actually be fun and help you socialize.

 

I recommend these books, which have some very creative Icebreakers that I don’t completely hate.

3)  Outside projects/Recordings. If you didn’t already know, most a cappella albums are recorded one-person-at-a-time, and usually over the span of several weeks. It is rare to get all of your group members in the same room at the same time to record, unless you’re a jazz group, a choir, or a barbershop quartet.

 

Outside projects force specific people to work together, and maybe something can become of that relationship. Maybe the two people in your group who absolutely HATE each other (you know who they are…) just need some one-on-one time to clear the air or find common ground.

Just because you’re not rehearsing doesn’t mean you have to stop thinking about a cappella. God, I can’t even imagine a world where someone would actually have to stop thinking about a cappella, even for a moment. Torture.

 

Bottom line, you never know when your a cappella experience will come to an end, because nothing lasts forever. Treasure the moments you have now so you don’t regret later. You may only have 6 or 7 years left. (Oh, God damn it!)

Marc Silverberg

marcesilverberg.com

instagram.com/docacappella

Facebook.com/Docacappella

TikTok.com/Docacappella

 

BONUS SECTION!!!!

 

And now, to capitalize on the 6-7 craze, I present my attempts at creating an a cappella catchphrase:

 

Dry bones: A vocal percussion who is out of water.

 

Tune me up: What you say right before someone blows a pitch pipe.

 

That’s doo-doo: An a cappella way to say “that sucks.”

 

Tok’d it!: What you say when you grab something helpful off Tik Tok.

 

You’re a dm dm: A way to insult the bass in your group.

 

Don’t be a Keith: What you say when someone in your group is acting suspicious or weird.

 

Collier-izing: A way to defend writing complicated chords in your arrangement.

 

Okay let’s try it again but you know…Good: What you say to your group when you want them to sing the song again.

 

No no no no no no no no doh doh doh doh doh doh doh doh: An a cappella way to say “We’re out of money.”

 

In my defense…I like sex: What your tenor should say when he’s/she’s/they’re caught sleeping with the alto.

 

Marc your score: A way to simultaneously say “you should write notes in your score” and “Marc’s blog always scores a home run.”

 

“I’ll murder your family” Quadruple p yourself: What to say to someone who won’t listen to your directions.

 

Everything everywhere is terrible: What to say when Sibelius/Dorico/MuseScore/Pro Tools/Logic Pro X crashes.

 

Hey guys! Let’s improvise! What a music director should say if they want to be fired.

 

If even ONE of these catches on with the a cappella community, I will have fulfilled my purpose in life.

We Need To Talk...

 First of all, I’d like to thank you for your comments on my political post. They were as artistically sound as they were personally abusive.

 

Last week, Dr. J.D. Frizzell posted a blog-style opinion on Facebook based on my blog-style blog two weeks earlier, when I declared that a cappella was “dead.” What followed was a mature and intelligent conversation by the a cappella community discussing the hardships that now plague contemporary a cappella. About 35 people made comments including one that declared J.D. for president. This has led me to three conclusions:

 

1)    The a cappella community clearly loves J.D. more than me.

2)    This is not okay.

3)    That mother f***er is going down.

 

I kid. We wrote a book together for god’s sake. Truth be told, I was actually thrilled at all the responses. I originally asked if a cappella was dead because I think we don’t talk enough. To be clear, I do not think a cappella is dead. The point I was trying to make was that it felt, to me at least, that we hit a creative plateau and we need to get over the hump.

 

The title was meant to rattle cages. It was meant to spark discussion. It’s been a long time since a thoughtful, respectful debate was held about America a cappella. I remember the old days when alliances were formed and the sides went to war. It was hilarious wasn’t pleasant to watch, or read…but at least we were talking. We need more of this. 

 

I don’t know why, probably because I think social media is the devil, but the only thing that bothers me about these conversations is that we’re having them on Facebook, instead of in person. Speaking of which…

 

I’m just going to say it: the Facebook group “A cappella NOW” has become a wasteland of “audition for us!” and “look at the thing we made!” Now let me be clear—I’m not saying either of these are bad. What is social media for if not to shamelessly self-promote? (read this) But when so many of us are flooding the page with announcements, it becomes difficult to catch the audience’s eye. When I post a blog, I know I’ve got about twenty minutes before I’m not longer on the top.

 

And yes, I’m fully aware of how algorithms work. The more a post is commented on, the higher up it will stay because science.

 

In my opinion, the A cappella NOW page should be a collaboration of ideas, a place to ask questions, a place to state opinions-that-someone-will-misread-and-tell-you-to-basically-jump-into-a-volcano.

 

I know I’m not the only one that thinks this…I find it kind of sad that the A cappella NOW page has basically become the major source of current a cappella news. I feel like a Facebook group should be where a community can hang out, not be responsible for broadcasting the most pressing a cappella news of the week.

 

This is not the page’s fault. Nor is it ours. No one is to blame (except J.D. just because). That’s just how it evolved. 

 

When I teach a workshop or lead a conference, I’m always asked where people can get the most current updates on a cappella and I’m always kind of ashamed to say “the Facebook group.”

 

Am I wrong? Do people not mind this? Is this just the rantings of a jaded and tired 43-year-old man? 

 

If I’m right, then what’s the solution? Here are some ideas:

 

1)    Make some new Facebook groups. Sure, we have an arranging group, and a recording group, and an education group, etc. But the membership of those pages is almost 80% less than the A cappella NOW page. To successfully outsource topics and keep the page clean, lots more people need to join these outside groups.

2)    External Websites. It would be great if there were a website that tracked all of this new content and kept us updated on the latest news in a cappella. Deke did it when he wrote the Contemporary A cappella Newsletter (CAN). CASA used to have a main page that attempted to keep track of the important festivals and concerts happening soon. There was even a page called “A cappella News” but it no longer exists. 

 

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m about to announce some brand-new news website. Well, I’m not. I wouldn’t have the first clue how to make one of those and there’s no way on Earth I’d be able to keep up with current news, as I’m just one person.

 

However…no one is saying YOU can’t do this. In fact, I dare say that the person or persons who create the next big a cappella news website will carve out a substantial niche for themselves in this ever-crowded marketplace. So go to work you Gen Z Go-getters. I’ll be your first member.

3)    Shut up Marc. Maybe I’m overthinking this. Maybe this isn’t a problem at all. I mean, we DO need a way to keep track of the latest goings-on about a cappella, and Facebook is just so darn convenient. Is it too hypocritical of me to complain about the very page where I advertise my own posts? (Yes)

 

Why am I ranting so much about the Facebook group? Because I’ve seen a huge uptick in thoughtful, respectful conversations over the last few weeks and I want this to continue. But I also don’t want these conversations to get buried by Rando Calrissian’s post about his newest single. Both posts are important, and both posts should have a place where they can frolic and play with all the other baby posts.

 

So, what have we learned today? Absolutely nothing A few things:

1)    I’m about to be kicked off the A cappella NOW page.

2)    We need to talk more. 

3)    If J.D. disappears in the middle of the night, don’t worry about it. I’m sure he’ll be fine…

 

Marc Silverberg

marcesilverberg.com

Instagram.com/Docacappella

Facebook.com/Docacappella

Cancelled

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand here’s where I get cancelled.

I’m not going to have a political discussion here, so if you’re looking for a monologue that you can use as fodder for your deepfake video, you’re not gonna get it. (Nyah, nyah)

 

However, I should probably state my own personal opinion, so you at least have a basis for the what comes next. (Begin cancellation in 10…9…)

 

If I lose readers, I lose readers. Although, I don’t have any readers, so this shouldn’t worry me too much.

 

I am a proud ally for the LGBTQ+ community. I believe:

 

Love is love.

Black Lives Matter.

Science is real.

Feminism is for everyone.

No human is illegal.

Kindness is everything.

 

There you go. It’s not everything, but it’s enough to make you understand where I’m coming from. 

 

Ahh, I can almost hear those website-closing-clicks now…

 

This past weekend, 7 million people who agree with me took to the streets in a protest against authoritarian rule. I could not attend because 1) I’m allergic to big crowds of people, 2) My kids had stuff to do and I’m their chauffeur, and 3) It was my birthday so shut up.

 

Okay, the real reason I don’t go to protest marches is because I don’t believe they do anything. (Sorry, HERE’S where I get cancelled)

 

It’s not that I’m against protests or believe that the act of protesting should be illegal. Far from it. I just don’t understand what practical benefits a protest can bring. I mean, it seems to me like people gather together, walk some distance, and then leave. What gets accomplished besides everyone getting exercise?

 

I’ve felt this way for years. I’m a practical guy-I believe the “how” something gets done is far more important than the “why” something gets done. (Don’t even get me started on philosophy…)

 

On Saturday, I began to understand the purpose of protest marching. Honestly, seeing that many people protest actually gave me hope for the future. It told me I wasn’t alone (which I felt like I was) and that my fears are not unwarranted. (which I thought they were)

 

I swear I’m getting to a cappella music…

But the practical side of me doesn’t see any change happening. I believe that if you want to change something, you do something about it or you vote. Protests, I thought, did not accomplish either of those things. (Nope, HERE’S where I get cancelled)

 

Here’s my point (this is where the a cappella comes in). If you want the change to happen, if you feel helpless in the face of uncertainty, you have the power to do something about it. 

 

Music has been at the center of every major protest since the 60’s. (That’s a guess, I’m sure it’s earlier than that) A good earworm stays in the brain much longer than a famous quote. Music stirs the soul much more than a good speech.

 

We are living in a divided, hostile, somewhat precarious time and many people feel powerless to do anything about it. They hide their head in the sand like an ostrich and wait for everything to blow over.

 

But…staying silent is letting them win.

 

Are you telling me your group can’t sing a protest song in the staircase of your college building?

Are you telling me your group can’t record a single and release it on Spotify?

Are you telling me your group has NOTHING to say about our current climate?

 

I get it. Believe me I get it. You don’t want to ruffle any feathers, you don’t want to piss anyone off, you don’t want to be targeted by someone who disagrees with you.

 

Release the song anonymously. It’s better than doing nothing.

 

I stayed politically neutral for years. I felt like if I stay out of the discussion, then everyone can enjoy my music and I could grow my fanbase from anywhere.

 

But it’s been 8 years and I don’t have any fans. I guess I have nothing to lose.

 

And if you’re reading this blog (all 10 of you), I’m guessing you’re not a member of Pentatonix, so it’s probably safe to say that your fanbase is about as big as mine. That means you have nothing to lose.

 

Music can change the world. We sing music. Ergo, we can change the world.

 

Am I cancelled yet?

 

Marc Silverberg

Marcesilverberg.com

Instagram.com/Docacappella

Facebook.com/Docacappella 

Momma, look at me! I'm a star!

This post is about self-promotion.

I hate self-promotion.

When I see people promote themselves on social media, I go throw up in a wastebasket. And if there’s no wastebasket around, I’ll find one, bring it downstairs to my desk, make sure it’s in exactly the right place…empty it out if anything smelly is in there…maybe take a nap…and then I’ll throw up in it.

 I have never been comfortable bragging about myself. 

 I mean, I suck. What is there to brag about? 

 “Hey everyone! I didn’t let my restless leg syndrome keep me up until 3 in the morning! Yay!”

 See what I did there? Now you know I have restless leg syndrome. And that I’m usually awake at 3 in the morning.

 That’s the only kind of self-promotion I’m comfortable with: Self-deprecating, minimizing the accomplishments, and informing the reader through sneaky, underhanded methods.

 But if I don’t promote myself, how will you know what I’m working on? And how do I tow that fine line between helpful promotion and annoying infomercial? And where the hell am I going with all of this?

 My fears stem from the following:

- I am 99% sure no one cares what I’m working on.

- I am 99% sure that there’s people just like me who will throw up in a wastebasket every time they see a self-promotion.

- I am 99% sure that people will think I’m either egotistical or desperate.

Now, let’s take my friend…ummm…I need an alias so he doesn’t know I’m talking about him…C Arthur. No, that’s too obvious. Charlie A. Perfect.

 Charlie A has had enormous success in the a cappella market because he is not afraid to self-promote. I dare say, he’s currently living the life I wish I had:

 -He’s often called upon to sub in for multiple professional groups

-He’s currently in a long-distance group

-He’s in high demand as a judge, collaborator, and presenter

 

Now let’s compare his life with mine:

 -I have never been called upon to sub in for multiple groups. In fact, I once got the chance to sing a solo with Backtrack and I sounded like someone had put a kazoo inside a dying bagpipe, shoved that inside a vacuum cleaner, and then asked the vacuum to belt “Defying Gravity.”

-I am not in a long-distance group. I tried starting one once. It failed for multiple reasons.

-I am not in high demand as anything. Sure, I MC a bunch of shows, but I’m pretty sure the directors are letting me do it out of pity. 

 Let us also pause and take into account how ridiculously talented Charlie A is. He’s not getting these opportunities out of luck, he’s earning them.

 Sorry. This was not supposed to be a pity party. I don’t want your pity. I want to be confident and strong enough to self-promote without feeling like I’m annoying you.

 So, to all of you who feel the way I do…

To everyone who doubts their talent and wishes they could have more opportunities…

To the masses who worry about cluttering up the A cappella NOW Facebook group…

 I say this: Suck it up and self-promote.

 It’s like the lottery. Sure, there’s no way in hell you’re going to win, but you can’t have a shot if you don’t buy the ticket.

 In the spirit of “sucking it up,” I’m going to self-promote.

 

Hello friends! Did you know Marc is available for sub-in singing work? It’s true!

 

-He learns music really, really fast.

-He’s the world greatest sight reader. (I can sight-read ANYTHING)

-He has NO desire to steal anyone’s solo- you can TOTALLY give away all of his supposed solos and he will be perfectly happy with that!

-He will spend every waking minute of his life obsessing about your set and getting it right because he wants to please you so very, very badly! (This could be a good thing or a bad thing…your choice)

-He has spent his life perfecting the art of “not sticking out.”

-He has lots of experience singing incredibly difficult harmonies! (I sang the baritone part of the Real Group’s arrangement of “It Don’t Mean A Thing.” BY. MY. SELF.)

-He’s super good with technology!

 

[Author’s note: I’m going to write a whole blog about my singing voice…just you wait…]

 Now see…I just re-read this last part and I feel stupid. I feel like you’re judging me because it looks like I’m desperate, when in fact I’m just curious.

 

THIS is the problem with self-promotion. 

 Now I’m going to go throw up in a wastebasket.

 

Marc Silverberg

Marcesilverberg.com

Instagram.com/docacappella