In the 21st Century, playing on stage with lesser matched muscian has changed beyond proportions. Or has the performance it self been nulified in society?
ASK AMY
Dear Amy: I am 13 years old. My friends, “Margaret" and “Nancy," and I are planning to perform in a talent show. I'm going to play the piano, and my two friends will sing. Nancy and I have never performed in a talent show before. However, Margaret was in last year's talent show and she was a bit embarrassed when the girl she was singing with (one of her friends) sang poorly. The video of the two of them singing was later posted on YouTube.
Margaret thinks that the same thing might happen now because Nancy is not that good of a singer. Margaret doesn't want to be embarrassed all over again.
Is there anything we can do to avoid hurt feelings, crushed friendships or embarrassment?
Talented Teen
Dear Teen: I'm somewhat relieved that YouTube wasn't around when I was a teenage geekball. Then the entire world (instead of the entire school) would have known about my near fatal tap-dancing talent show performance, circa 1972.
Now that a person's failures (and triumphs) can circulate throughout the world in a nanosecond, it's probably smart to have a realistic and healthy respect for the power of YouTube. But I'd like to make a pitch for getting out there and doing what you're going to do -- regardless. However, Margaret needs to get onboard.
Please remember that unless things at your talent show get spectacularly interesting, strangers just aren't going to care. As the sheer volume of these online videos builds up, threatening to crush us all, any one person's performance doesn't amount to much -- especially when there's that cute video of the sneezing baby panda to keep us all entertained.
