Earlier this week I had a very interesting meeting with a cultural development professional in New Orleans about jazz and French and heritage--topics I LOVE to talk about. It was clear from the get-go that we had a surprising number of things in common, but what made the conversation exciting was something else that I realized within the first 10 minutes: both of us cultivate a habit of thinking in POSSIBILITIES rather than CONSTRAINTS. We were purely brainstorming in this meeting, but thinking in possibilities brought a special energy and curiosity to the conversation. It expanded the realm of how we could potentially work together more than if we had the blinders of constraint narrowing our focus. Do you make a habit of thinking in possibilities rather than constraints? One way to practice this is with a game that comes from the improv comedy world--the "Yes, and..." Game. When someone contributes an idea:
I do this regularly (not perfectly, but often), and as a result, magic/coincidences/unexpected opportunities show up for me daily. The clencher is that I also SHOW UP for the opportunities that come my way: I step out of my comfort zone. I connect. I get curious. I explore—even when it means going somewhere by myself. If you want more of this in your life, practice focusing on possibilities and showing up for yourself for 90 days. Who knows what opportunities you could start creating in YOUR life! With gratitude, Ashley P.S. Next week I'll be heading to Houston to teach ukulele to a bunch of 5-10 year olds for the first time. Wish me luck! :P HOUSTON FRIENDS: Save the date for this upcoming show Friday, Oct. 27, at 8pm at the Dosey Doe Breakfast, BBQ & Whiskey Bar in The Woodlands, TX! Want reminders? Click here for the Facebook event.
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Are You a Highlighter?7/10/2023 I was dressed in my coolest “sticky weather” attire—a teal, cotton sundress—to play the farmer’s market, knowing it would be hot even in the shade. No amount of shampoo was gonna keep away the sweat I’d likely endure, so I wore a big, floppy hat to cover my greasy locks. At one point midway through the gig, I was feeling grateful to be there, though a bit sluggish due to the heavy humidity. As I took an ice break and walked toward the restroom, a little girl about 6 years old showed up out of the blue. She was dressed in a cute, rainbow-patterned jumpsuit and holding her mom’s hand. She glanced at me as they passed and said in a clear, self-assured voice: “I just want to say you look beautiful.” I looked at her surprised, partly because I definitely didn’t feel beautiful at that moment and partly because I wasn’t expecting such an eloquent, confident phrase to come from a kid her size. No one else was around. She was indeed talking to me. “Thank you!” I smiled back at her, and we continued walking in opposite directions—she and her mom back to the market and I stepped into the restroom. Once inside, I looked into the mirror. Even though nothing physically had changed in that 5-second interaction—I was surprised by my reflection. That little girl’s simple compliment had worked its magic. I actually FELT a little less sweaty, a little more colorful, a little less gross. She had verbally “highlighted” something she liked in the world, and had given it as a tiny gift to me. And it ever-so-slightly shifted the momentum of my day in a positive direction. Are YOU a highlighter? Do you regularly find ways to bring to light things you like about people (even strangers) around you? You can brighten someone’s day with the simplest of kind words—a thank you for something they've done, an acknowledgment of them or something they care about, a compliment about something they're wearing, etc. And like a wheel rolling down a hill, by starting a positive cycle, you’d be amazed how that ball can keep rolling and rolling and rolling. Be a highlighter every day, and I guarantee your world will become a brighter place. You may want to keep some sunglasses handy as a result :p On a more musical note...
We had a fabulous time singing, playing and dancing up a storm Sunday night with the Big Swing Big Band at the Covington Country Club! It's always a pleasure and privilege to sing with this rockin' band made up of some of the best musical talent around. This time was a special treat because I also unexpectedly got to swing dance with some old friends from college who I haven't seen in years. AND...while standing outside with my phone to my ear to warm up, I accidentally met Patrick Hennessey, a retired musicology professor and professional trombonist who taught for many years at the University of Hawaii (so he knows all the jazz ukulele greats like Lyle Ritz--considered to be one of the founders of ukulele jazz--because he used to have them come talk to his classes!), and he now lives near me. haha I can't even make this stuff up, y'all! The world is a small place. Put yourself in interesting places so you can connect (and reconnect) with interesting people. You never know who you might meet. I hope to see you soon at an upcoming gig! With gratitude, Ashley The Craftsman Mindset7/5/2023 What an incredible trip to Nashville I had last week learning from one of the most talented (and probably THE most famous) ukulele players alive, Jake Shimabukuro, along with his best friends, who happen to also be amazing ukulele performers and teachers!
The whole week was full of connecting, learning, and reminding myself that the "craftsman mindset"--which focuses on daily practice, appreciating small wins, enjoying the journey (not just striving for the destination) and consistently challenging yourself while also having fun--is the path to be on in the long run if you want to achieve things that seem difficult or maybe even impossible right now. All the attendees were amazed at not only how phenomenal of a performer Jake is, but also how humble and personable he is even though he has recorded, performed and toured with some of the biggest artists around, including Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Bette Midler and more. He answered all our questions, cheered us on during open mics, and even could be found picking up plates for those who happened to eat dinner near him in the dining hall! One of the biggest highlights for me during this retreat was getting to perform for the first time with one of my mentors and teachers, Bryan Tolentino. He has a magic touch on the ukulele, which is why many people refer to his style of playing as "fairy dusting." He certainly brought that beautiful technique to our performance of Andy Cumming's classic song "Waikiki" during the final night of the retreat. I'm so grateful to have had the pleasure of being a part of this innovative event and truly welcoming community. Here's to many more experiences to take chances and grow. And here's a video of Bryan and I performing "Waikiki" at the beautiful Wightman Chapel on the Scarritt-Bennett Campus in Nashville, TN. Hidden Gems7/3/2023 Listening to the washing machine's rhythmic whooshing down the hall is soothing as I pack for "grown-up summer camp" :D
This particular event happens to be a week-long ukulele retreat in Nashville led by the most famous ukulele player alive today--Jake Shimabukuro--and a bunch of his talented ukulele pro friends from Hawaii (several of whom I have fortunately called my teachers for the last few years). Thank goodness for technology, which has made it possible for me to study with them from afar, but I can't express how excited I am to finally meet everyone in person! If the pandemic taught me anything, it was that these are not only great players but also great people. They truly showed up for the ukulele community, innovated over and over and over again as situations changed, and supported us all in learning how to connect deeply in new ways. Like hidden gems in plain sight! I will always be grateful for their example. And as of tomorrow, I look forward to learning from them, jamming with them and sharing our mutual love for this joyful instrument and community in person! Also, in recent weeks I've had the pleasure of giving back to my local ukulele community in a small way--by organizing a fun, 1-song recording session at the Baton Rouge library. Many of the uke group's members had never been in a recording studio before and didn't even realize this branch of the library had one (plus training classes) open to the public. I love sharing publicly accessible hidden local gems with people, so this community project has been fun for all of us. Can't wait to hear the final song once we finish the edits! You might want to check out your own local library to see what special programs, activities, and equipment (like 3D printing) it may offer. See y'all in July! With gratitude, Ashley Oh What a Night!6/13/2023 What an incredible night we had Friday:
SOLD OUT crowd, top notch venue & sound/staff, and a dream band of musicians helping me create magic for "Summer Swing with Ashley Orlando: the Great American Songbook & Beyond." The evening was everything I imagined it could be and more. All I can say is THANK YOU!
With gratitude, Ashley P.S. In case you didn't catch the article about the show, band and my backstory last week in The Advocate, click here to read it! Expanding Your Comfort Zone6/8/2023 Leadership comes in many forms. One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years in my own leadership journey is the importance of asking for what you want (easier said than done).
Let me preface this by saying that as a kid, I was so afraid of asking people for things (i.e. so afraid of hearing the word "no") that I made my mom call my friends to ask if they wanted to come over to play. Most of the time even now, I still find myself dragging my feet at least a little when I want to ask for something important. But one key insight that has helped me tremendously as I ask for bigger and more important (to me) things in life is the following reframe: "What if the ASK is a GIFT?" Case in point: I got a call last weekend from a friend who told me that my ask (that he come to the "Summer Swing" show this Friday) actually inspired him to go out of his own comfort zone and invite a new friend to join him (rather than his usual mode of going alone). My ASK turned out to be an OPPORTUNITY for him to make his own ASK and CONNECT with someone else. You never know when your ASK could become a GIFT/NUDGE/OPPORTUNITY for others. Now it's your turn:
See y'all Friday in the Hartley/Vey Studio! Ashley I recently had the pleasure of sharing part of my music story with the digital magazine Canvas Rebel. Their questions brought up some fun memories I haven't visited in a while, like the very first time I was paid to sing for an event and the mistake I later learned I had been making for more than a decade! Read the article here.
Preparations are full "swing" ahead for the "Summer Swing with Ashley Orlando" show next week (Friday, June 9th) at the Hartley/Vey Studio in the Manship Theater. Get your tickets here! Can't wait to see y'all there :) With gratitude, Ashley The OTHER Side of the Story5/23/2023 Oh what fun it was performing under the beautiful oaks of the West Baton Rouge Museum last Friday with the Florida Street Blowhards during the monthly "Historical Happy Hour" series. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us for this show! Last weekend I also had an opportunity to play solo during Sunday brunch at The Gloriette restaurant inside the Southern Hotel in Covington, LA. What a beautiful space it is, and I even ran into my high school physics teacher (one of those rare people who made class fun with toy rollercoaster models to learn from and a field trip to Jazzland to see physics at work in the real world).
In addition to prepping full-speed for the Summer Swing show June 9th at the Manship Theater, it's also time to draft a second speech for the Toastmasters International Speech Competition in case I make it past the Regional Round. This is the first international level of the contest and each contestant is required to use a different speech at finals. Is my speech up against some tough competition? Definitely! Could I lose in this next round? Of course! But if you prepare for the BEST outcome like you prepare for the worst, then you're always ready when opportunity strikes :) Getting back into story mode has allowed me to dig through many fond memories and reminisce. But what has been most interesting is something one of my coaches pointed out last week as I was relaying one favorite story involving my youngest sister: "Have you ever asked what this event looked like/felt like from HER PERSPECTIVE?" Truthfully, I had not. I had assumed plenty of things. She was a kid back then--would she even remember much of it? But I had never directly asked her to share with me her version of the story with me. So last weekend, I changed that. And boy was I surprised. As my coach suspected, the "other side" of the story revealed several key points and motivations I had never thought of. Adding my sister's perspective helped me better understand her as a person. It also made the story richer, more meaningful, and more complete. Do you have a favorite personal story involving others that you've never dug a little deeper into? It may be worth asking a question or two of those involved to find out their perspective. In the process, you may uncover something that helps you better understand them too! With gratitude, Ashley All Hands on Deck5/18/2023 Have you ever been excited to accomplish something important "all by yourself" and then realized later that you actually had a lot of help along the way?
Today I got to meet a friend's toddler son for the first time. He's just beginning to walk on his own, to eat solid "grown-up" food and express his emotions. He still obviously needs a lot of help in many ways. But he's not the least bit shy about asking for it. And even when he does something new "by himself," he has a cheering squad of adults encouraging him and ready to catch him when he falls. As adults, we sometimes don't want to admit that we need help, but we do--every day--and in lots of different ways. And we're sometimes hesitant to make the ask. Right now I am working with the music director for my June 9th show to pull together charts, with the Manship Theater on promotions, with fellow musicians on arrangements and media outlets to spread the word for ticket sales. It takes a TEAM of people to make a great show possible! Even mandolin virtuoso, Chris Thile, who I had the pleasure of hearing perform a solo concert a few years ago in Houston, has a TEAM of people who make his SOLO concerts possible. What are you working on right now? And where could you use a little help? Have you asked for it? If not, I challenge you to do so today. If it's something you've been putting off for a while, instead of thinking about "the worst thing that could happen" if you ask, I invite you to think "what's the best that could happen?" For example, I just called my local library to ask if they would promote the Manship show by adding the poster to their digital billboards. And in the span of our 5-minute conversation, the librarian said SHE's going to buy a ticket to the show! Many great things start with reaching out and asking for help. Do it! In the meantime, I hope to see you tomorrow night for Historical Happy Hour with me and the Florida Street Blowhards (at the West Baton Rouge Museum) and June 9th at the Hartley/Vey Studio in the Manship Theater! With gratitude, Ashley The Size of Success5/10/2023 When I'm coaching someone who tells me they want to be more "successful," one of the first questions I ask is, "What does 'being successful' mean to you?" Because we all have different definitions of this term. And without defining what it is YOU want, YOU'LL never know if you have achieved it or not. For the past two weeks in my musical world, every professional musician has been talking about playing at one of two major festivals: Jazz Fest in New Orleans or Festival International in Lafayette. Playing one or both of these events is a major success for many musicians. And I'm so happy for them! I have never played at either festival, but I did get to attend both this year (My first REAL visit to Jazz Fest was amazing! It rained, poured, and the music was totally worth soggy feet for a day). But a new favorite part for me this year was seeing incredibly talented local musicians I now know on the stages and cheering them on. Would I love to be up there with them? Sure! (Step 1 for next year = Apply! haha) In the meantime, last week I enjoyed my own very different version of success (one that could be considered smaller by traditional standards but that means a lot to me): I had the pleasure of performing a 2-hour courtyard concert entirely in FRENCH for GiveNOLA Day and the Nous Foundation, which supports French initiatives in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. Performing a show en français is something I've dreamed about for years since seriously beginning my journey to learn the language in college. What an honor it was to be asked to do this, and in such a lovely, French Quarter courtyard setting. The fundraiser was successful too, so here's to more French initiatives in Louisiana as a result! That's a win-win in my book :) If you'd like to hear a bit of music en français in Baton Rouge, I'll be incorporating several songs into my next two concerts:
I hope to see you soon! With gratitude, Ashley AuthorAshley Orlando is a jazz vocalist/ukulele artist and coach who helps growth-focused leaders find their voice, grow their presence & amplify their impact. Archives
March 2024
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