Kate's Voice

Which of these sentences pulls at your heart?

Ten-year-old Sean walked excitedly to the door of the music room with his new violin in hand and was very sad to find a note on the door stating that the program had been canceled.

The district cut the music class because of lack of funding.

One of the things that bothers me most about charity events is that people spend so much time on speeches!  We want to hear from the people doing the work and we want to hear about what they are doing.  However,  what we want to know most is that what we are doing is meaningful.  The most effective way to reach others is by reminding them of themselves, and the best way to do that is through storytelling.  Therefore, the second rule for speaking up for a cause is to tell some stories.

We tell stories because your story reminds me of my own and creates a connection between us.  That connection is what moves me to support your cause, not the story itself.

What is a story?  A story has a beginning, a middle and an end. A great story has a complication that evokes an emotional response.  A great story is always about people. And it doesn’t have to be long.

A good story has an emotional component, and an obstacle that has to be overcome. Our story about Sean has this.  Using color words like “excitedly”, and “new,” and”sad” create an emotional component.  Using some action that is thwarted creates the obstacle: he walked up only to find that the class was canceled.

In fundraising, you can use a  story with an obstacle to be overcome, and create a need within others to help solve that problem.  OR you can use a good story to show how the work that is being done is helping to overcome the obstacle. Either way is effective, especially if you remember the first rule of lending your voice to a cause which is to speak from the heart.

I have had the honor of lending my voice and my sweat to raising millions for education and artistic programs.  I am a huge fan of the arts for many reasons, not the least of which is that I made music my career from the time I was in high school.  More importantly, I did so because music was a place I found early on that fed my soul.

Every artist can tell you a story about how their art “saved their life.”  I know it sounds dramatic, but I feel strongly that this is a true statement.  When I was in fourth grade, my dad was job hunting and my mom was ill.  SInce he was gone a lot, we kids had to take care of Mom.  In my school, they encouraged students to start an instrument in fourth grade, so when it was time to choose, I chose the violin.  I often call it “my first love,” because I was enamoured of that instrument for years, holding it close to my heart as I played and practicing for hours.  I am pretty sure that one reason it became so important to me was my mom’s illness.

Now, years later, I’ve had a career as a singer and a voice coach, and seen many, many people choose singing because of the need for something beautiful to inspire them or lift them up, or give them a reason to go on.  I’ve seen audiences moved to tears by a line that reminds them of themselves, and heard people yell at actors who portray heartless characters.  I’ve seen my own children stay out of potential trouble because they were involved with a theatrical production, and too busy to go to the mall with their friends, thank God!

So, when I get up to talk to people about the importance of arts education, I am speaking from the heart.  This is the first rule of lending your voice to a cause.  Speak from the heart.  It doesn’t really matter if others completely agree with you or not. They will feel your passion, and it will touch their own.  And everyone is passionate about something.