#Stories How I got to know London by singing on its street corners
#Stories from those who have lived in a RoomForTea. They share relevant insights into the experience of moving to a new city, living with new people, and finding your groove.
I recently started learning the ukulele so that I could busk in London. Over the last few years I’ve split my time between London and Vancouver, and as a result have sometimes found it hard to feel like I know either city very well. Busking, and meeting other musicians, has been a way for me to experience the city in a new way. I’ve discovered places and people, and given something back to the city (although I should probably leave that up to the people listening to me to decide whether that’s a good thing!)
I’ve been living in London since last February, completing a graduate programme called Year Here. I love performing but because my schedule’s so busy and varied I found it hard to find a choir or group I could commit to, so I decided to try busking (I was also hoping it’d help me with my rent!)
“For most people walking past you’re background noise…It’s really lovely when someone stops to listen though”
The first few minutes are nerve wracking, but once you realise that for most people walking past you’re background noise it becomes much easier. It’s really lovely when someone stops to listen though. I’ve only been out a few times because I’m still learning to play and sing at the same time so that I can accompany myself, but a friend of mine who busks in Vancouver came to London to visit and busked her way around the country. I was still quite new to the city and walking around London with her finding spots to busk was a great way to get to know the area.
It got me to thinking about how RoomForTea guests could benefit from this too; they’re very often new to the city, with busy and varied schedules and many guests are amazingly creative. I hope this blog post will be useful for any new guests moving to the city who want to use their creative skills to help them settle in and I’d love to hear back from guests about tips they got from their hosts on how to get to know the city, or local experiences they had that helped make the city home.
“Walking around London with her finding spots to busk was a great way to get to know the area”
I’d recommend busking to anyone who enjoys performing:
- If you’ve got a schedule that doesn’t allow you to commit to something regular, busking is flexible.
- If you’re new to the area and want to get to know different parts of the city busking allows you to travel around different parts of it and interact with the community and other performers.
- It’s a great way to build up your confidence and practice anything new you’re learning.
- Making some money out of it is a bonus too!
Top tip for anyone reading this who’s interested in giving busking a try in London: My friend shared “The Buskers code” with me which is a must-read for anyone wanting to busk; there’s rules about where you can busk and some etiquette that it’s good to know in advance.
We have some very talented musicians in our Community, for a start, check out Anna’s profile, our excellent musical host with a piano for guests to practice on! If you’re not yet a member of the RoomForTea Community you can sign up as a host or guest on the RoomForTea website.
