Today I'll be singing not cycling

I realised in the week that my previous blog posts have not really reflected the title of the blog......and there has been an awful lot about cycling and not so much about singing or about Community Music in Action the charity I'm raising money for. As there really hasn't been much cycling going on as I've been away in Dubai on a work trip, I had all good intentions to get the the hotel gym each day, but unfortunately heat, hospitality and work put paid to that after day one. So today's blog is about singing, and it's good to remind myself that this is the whole reason I started on this mission. I found a hobby I loved, which turned into a way to help others, by helping to found the charity, Community Music in Action, which I then decided to raise money for, which culminated in this cycling to Paris madness. I sometimes forget in the midst of all the training, that this is what I'm doing it for & I know I've had feedback from readers that I should mention it more.......so read on!

It's funny how there are such similarities about the two things I'm doing though. My training so far has all been about pushing myself to do things I really didn't think I could, and today, I am about to embark on a similar experience with the choir. This afternoon we will perform at the South Bank Centre in London, as part of their Chorus Festival & I'll be singing a solo on the Riverside Terrace.  To say I'm bricking it right now, is probably putting it mildly! I've sung the solo at our concerts, where friends and supporters of the charity have come along to support us, but somehow, doing it in front of the general public, some of whom sing in their own choirs & some of whom are probably right old muso's is giving me the right heebie jeebies. We ran through the song in rehearsal on Wednesday and I really felt like I'd messed it up. The fact I'd just literally got off a 6 hour flight and was slightly jetlagged may have had something to do with it, but it didn't do anything for my confidence. I have a newfound respect for these international jetsetting artistes! So last night my poor suffering neighbours go to listen to my solo over and over and over again for about 2 hours.......and hopefully as a result "it'll be alright on the night"

So the gig at the Southbank is part of their annual chorus festival, it says on their website that the festival "explores how coming together to sing can change the world. Whether it enables a stranger to become your friend, or provokes a revolution as thousands of people sing forbidden songs in town squares, singing together has a power like nothing else". Well joining FUNdamentally Gospel has certainly changed my world and provoked a personal revolution, that's for sure!

Next week I'm off to see the project that Community Music in Action are running at the Riverside School in Orpington, we've funded a professional rapper to work with the school's sixth formers, all of whom have profound learning difficulties, Myles Dhillon will be working with the kids on a story-telling project which apparently is going down a storm with them & I can't wait to see how the money you've helped to raise to date is being directly used, I'll report back soon, hopefully with pictures and/or recordings.

And......if you'd like a little sneak preview of the song I'm going to be singing this afternoon, log on and take a look at the following link:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfhiGrNr6sQ

Oh and did I mention I was cycling from London to Brighton tomorrow....I'll let you know how I got on with the famous Ditchling Beacon (gulp!)