GIVING BACK
RnB Singers, well musicians in general, are frequently contacted with requests to give their time and talents to various good causes. Balancing ‘giving back’ with self employment and family can be a tricky business, especially during very busy seasons.
WHO TO GIVE BACK TO?
Earlier this year I became involved with a local church ‘singing cafe’ which meets weekly in my community. Older, isolated and otherwise vulnerable people gather to be catered for by a group who run the cafe and have additional needs themselves. Musicians play and the group joyfully sings and dines together.
One of the barriers to delivering and widening participation of the Singing Cafe is the old and outdated church kitchen. Its lack of facilities, restrictive access and inability to accommodate large numbers makes running the ever growing Singing Cafe an increasingly difficult task.
WHY GIVE BACK?
When local Minister David Skinner suggested the idea of a community concert, where local people could be part of an uplifting musical experience and ticket money could go towards the construction project I decided to get involved for 3 reasons.
- I’ve seen the impact of the church’s Singing Cafe and Toddler Groups on the local community and recognise how valuable the interaction and experience is across ages and nationalities within the community.
- The church has been a great support personally through the dedication of children in the family and blessings of marriages.
- It seemed like a great excuse to work alongside my friends and colleagues of the incomparable Get Gospel!
WHAT HAPPENED?
I sang 3 RnB / soul songs before Get Gospel (including myself) who headlined the gig; Ordinary People by John Legend, Easy by Lionel Ritchie and an original song of mine called Get Together.
Following my brief RnB Singer / Pianist set, the very talented team of singers Jules, Emily and Billy burst onto the church stage for an hour of great songs ranging from Gospel to soul classics and even some pop/RnB hits.
I’m hard pushed to remember a time when we have performed to a warmer, more inviting audience than this. The crowd response and feedback on the music after the event was hugely positive and complimentary and it was evident that everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves.
We managed to raise £1500 towards the new kitchen facilities at Houghton Regis Baptist Church, the buzz from the crowd appreciation and the sense of giving back to the community has stayed with me since.
Should you wish to book the Get Gospel singers to perform at your event, visit www.getgospel.co.uk for further info.
To book The Piano Singer to uplift your guests with RnB soul music for your event please visit www.thepianosinger.com to check for availability and pricing.
