(Smile and be friendly whether or not you are performing)

[Marcellin Chiasson]

Hi folks: This is a topic which is being carried over from my Facebook page. At a recent party, fellow musicians were saying how it is important for people who perform for the public (i.e.musicians, atheletes, etc) can improve their ratings if they are friendly to people on and off the stage. I AGREE. Even store clerks are expected to treat their customers in a friendly manner even if they are having "a bad hair day". Some musicians are putting all their attention to playing correctly and become distracted from their audience . In other cases, the performer may be going through difficult personal circumstances so for those in the audience who know this, they can be understandng. What annoyed people at this gathering was when, for example, musicians who know you will not even say hi when they meet you. My former boss had a motto "Be nice to people on the way up because you will meet them on the way down". Whenever I try to think of a musician with a
 perfect personality, one cannot help but think of Buddy MacMaster who is the most humble gentleman one could ever meet even though at the height of his musical career as the Master of the Cape Breton Fiddle, he still had the same pleasant personality as when he was station master at the railway station in Port Hood. What a perfect role model on and off the stage.


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