Karaoke At Seventy?

I have been singing for many years. In high school and college it was a lot of fun singing in school shows and at many dances, but it was just for fun. Eventually it became a career. I loved performing for many years to come. Flash forward to my 50s, 60s and 70s when I sold cars and real estate making a decent living, but left the fun behind. I found out what a “real” job was like. We moved to Las Vegas in the 90s and I continued to sell cars. My wife and I met some folks and started to go to the Texas Station local casino. It was in Vegas where I was forced, I mean encouraged, to perform in Karaoke contests. I needed this encouragement and push to get up and sing again since many years had passed since I had performed. Now keep in mind, I did not even sing in the shower anymore.

Let’s face it, even though I stay fit, work out and eat right, age does take its toll, in particular, my voice. My voice was not the same in my late 60s as it was when I was singing for a living. Quite frankly I didn’t like what I heard. Of course my friends and wife said, just get up there and do it, you can still sing. You guessed it, I went and bought Karaoke CDs and learned a few songs. I entered a contest and won the right to compete in the finals. My secretary recommended I should sing Sinatra’s hit New York, New York. Everybody loves that song. I was also born in New York City. Guess What? I split first place with a female singer in her twenties and there I was, an old man of 70, singing again. I won about $350, which paid for the CD’s and gas to get to the Texas Station every week.

Hey all you creative seniors out there, don’t allow the years of inactivity to take away the things you used to do and love. Do you believe age is just a number? I do. Do your thing, applause comes in many, many ways! I hope you enjoy my moment on stage at Texas Station . It was great fun!

Watch my video! I hope you enjoy it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUkynVTH7tE[/youtube]

My advise to those of you who sang professionally at one time in your life or to those who just enjoy singing for fun, display your talent at any number of places in your city. Here are some tips to get you started. Choose your song carefully, make sure it showcases your style and talent. Pick a song most people are familiar with, but do it your way, your spin. Judges and the audience will appreciate your command and style rather than a copy of the “same old thing”. Just be yourself. Keep it somewhat short, you do not want to bore the judges and your audience. Hit one out of the park and take your bows. Most importantly, if you are having fun , you can be sure the audience and judges will be too. Move around the stage and for goodness sake, don’t sing to the monitor, sing to the audience. Judges love that! Dress is very important. Come out there and look like an entertainer. Dress sharp! In closing, don’t expect to win the top spot based solely on your singing voice. Believe me, judges look at 3 criteria; vocal ability, stage presence and of course, audience reaction. Shine my friends, shine!

No matter what Simon Cowell, from American Idol, has said about Karaoke, it is an art form. Karaoke is very entertaining when done well. I have personally seen and heard many great performers on the Karaoke stage. There is a lot of undiscovered talent out there. Unfortunately they are not heard by enough folks. Everyone loves to be appreciated and admired and show off their creativity. Creativity, like singing, may play an important role in healthy aging . Even though our brains age, it doesn’t stop us from being creative. When you have interesting things to do, you tend to be more outgoing and have a more positive attitude, and therefore you are healthier as a result. Being creative is really emotionally good for you at any age.