https://www.gofundme.com/w2rqg7q
Hi! Reverend Mary M here (aka Mary Elizabeth Micari)
I am a singer of many types of music, a voice teacher, designer and healer.
My Website
I am also very ill.
I have been singing since I am 6 pretty seriously. For a long time I was working in live theater, singing Opera and teaching voice.
I also did a lot of work designing and doing hair and make up for film and TV as a support job.
Five years ago I got very sick. I developed an auto immune disease called RA or Rheumatoid Arthritis. RA attacks the linings of the joints and eventually the joints themselves. At first I was totally crippled. I was unable to move much, had no use of my hands, couldn’t walk at all and was in a great amount of pain. I was tested and told I had this disease. When the Doctor he said, “I am so sorry…but you have RA”. I was medicated and helped some and gained back some movement. It really didn’t help and although I gained back some movement I was constantly in pain. I was told that RA can attack every joint in the body. The voice box (or Layrnx) is actually a joint and RA had found a home there too! Horrible! I was unable to sing for about a year because of the pain and then the lack of strength to get any good tone. I worked very hard and slowly I began to sing and teach again. I soon realized singing Opera and working in any way doing film or live theater backstage or on set was out. I knew I couldn’t stand on a stage and could only stay up long enough to get a short song out. I began to imagine what I could do…with the voice I now had which had changed due to the illness and the medications. I decided to start recording in my home to just document the sound of my voice in case I were to lose it. With the help of my son and a guitar mic (it was all we had then) I got a lot of songs recorded for myself. Slowly I had changed my way of singing so I could do standards in lower keys and had a breakthrough! I began to focus my singing on softer music to heal my voice and it responded! I found blues exciting and found new ways to sing old songs from my repertory. Opera as well!
I discovered that there is NO CURE for RA and I am looking at a long road of pain, joint replacement and more. I was lucky and I found much help in the Alternative Medical community and because of that I also began taking courses in Reiki, Herbalism, Sound Healing and now Homeopathy. I teach now using both my well tried singing techniques and mixing in healing techniques. I work with other singers who are facing difficulties as well as those who are blessedly healthy as a path to my own healing. I do not charge a large sum for this work and I can only handle a certain amount of students.
I am now better and my desire to sing and keep my voice is at its height! Two years ago as I was climbing up this mountain and I recorded what was a new voice! “The Musements” album is the result of that. It is a live compilation of work I did for the first three years of my illness. All of the songs on it have great meaning to me.
I didn’t put the songs up for purchase because I was unable to pay for the rights to the songs I used. I was and still am doing a lot of covers of old favorites. Those songs are owned by the composers and publishers. The cost of putting these up is not small. I will never make any money on this work but want it out there. I want my son to have something to hear when I am gone and for my grandchildren and my students to hear what I sounded like.
The fear that I will lose my voice is always looming. I cannot replace it like one can replace a hip. I will keep working on my music to honor all the work and learning I have gathered in this life time! These recordings will document that.
I need help. NOT a lot. Just any will do! No amount is too small and all amounts will help!
HERE’s Why:
I charge a low price for my work as a teacher and cannot return to my ‘day’ job of being a film and theater make up artist and hair stylist nor am I really capable of the sewing and creating with fabric that costume design takes. I am disabled and unable to hold down a regular job. Subway stairs are out and going to work in the morning (RA keeps your joints still for 2-4 hours) is out.
At this time both my husband and I are facing serious health issues. We earn what we can to survive but there is NO extra for such projects as this. If I don’t raise it I will never have the chance to be known in any way at all. All my work will fade away….forever.
I will use the money raised in this campaign to publish a little album of Standards, Jazz and Pop called “The Musements”. I will also use it to begin a music video of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” this winter.
If you help me I will be so very thankful. I hope you find it in your heart to help make my dream come true after so many years of pain and adversity!
Many blessings return to you!
HELP ME SING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary Elizabeth Micari 