How I overcame stage fright

How I overcame stage fright.

by Dominic S. Cucinotti

When I was nine years old
 I attended a Christmas concert in my community.

There were many performers who did well.

At the end of the concert
the announcer asked for a volunteer from the audience

to play the harmonica.

The volunteer would receive a free harmonica.

I really wanted that harmonica
but I was afraid to stand in front of an audience of about 250 people.

The announcer asked several times but no volunteers.

I was sitting in the second to last row in the balcony and I raised my hand.

He asked me to come down to the stage.

When I got there he asked what song I would play.

I replied "since it is Christmas time how about Silent Night"?

He announced my name and I started to blow through the harmonica making

sounds that did not resemble anything close to that song.

I was just blowing in and out

The audience was in an uproar laughing as loud as they could.

I will never forget the lady in the front row
who was laughing so hard
 and rocking back and forth that her glasses almost came off.

The announcer pulled the harmonica from my mouth and was very angry.

He said "That ain't Silent Night"

At that instant I realized that I did not know how play.

I asked "Can I keep the harmonica anyway"?

He said "Yeah your mouth was on it get out of here kid"

That is how I got my first Instrument.

____________________________________

I have been playing the saxophone, clarinet and flute

professionally for 35 years.

My most memorable gig was for former

* president Bill Clinton at a fund raiser for

* Senator Ted Kennedy in Boston at the Parkplaza castle.


Senator Kerry was also in attendance along with 3,000 other

people who paid $50.00 each to listen to the speeches of

Senator Kerry,
Ted Kennedy and former
President
Bill Clinton.

I played tenor sax with the John Payne saxophone choir.

After the speeches were finished we started playing.

The former president Bill Clinton pointed to us and said

"Thats my band, I love those guys",
 and he started coming up the stairs
 to the stage to play with us.

We brought an extra tenor saxophone
 just in case he wanted to do that.

But the secret service men stopped him
because there was a helicopter waiting for him
 to take him to his next engagement in New Hampshire.

So because of that first time playing harmonica,
which, I did not Know how to play,

I realized the stage fright was just in my mind.
That is how I overcame stage fright.

I just concentrated
on playing the harmonica
even though I did not know how.


I had a great time playing harmonica
and enjoyed the fact
that I made all those people laugh
 although unintentionally.

here is a link by Robert Rawlins, Ph.D to help overcome stage fright http://www.dominicsmusic.com/Leblanc_Bell_stage-fright
check it out