Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:34 pm. 0 comments
Why do we fear singing incorrect notes/rhythms? Ask a non-professional singer to sight-read & most of them will sing under their breath & very few, if any, pitches will be identifiable. Ask an emerging singer, and you’ll often get the same result. When we are insecure about WHAT to sing, it’s as if we suddenly forget HOW to sing.
Our voice is such a personal instrument that we often play it safe when we’re unsure of what to sing. It’s as if we’re telling ourselves to sing & not sing at the same time. How has that set us up for success? At best, we will achieve a mediocre sound. Often, we will be singing so quietly that even WE can’t tell what we’re doing. If we can’t tell how can we analyze the results & know what needs to be fixed? If we’re singing so quietly our TEACHER can’t hear, then we’re wasting our time & money.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 12:31 pm. 2 comments
Why did I decide to write a blog?
Well, last year when I was preparing for the NATS Artist Award competition, I did some googling. I ran across Chris Foley’s Collaborative Piano Blog (http://collaborativepiano.blogspot.com/). I immediately LOVED his take on the classical music world – definitely a consummate professional with an absurd sense of humor. I loved it. As I’ve said frequently “It’s only opera.” It may be how I make my living & I’m very serious about performing & improving my voice/performance/technique/knowledge base, but at the end of the day, it’s about the people in my life (as, if you’ve read the previous blog postings, you can tell – I hope!).
But, Chris Foley pointed the way toward starting to understand the world of social media.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 10:31 pm. 0 comments
Well, my husband is better today & I decided to take the evening off from opera rehearsal. As a result, I was able to give my girls their bath & get them to bed on time. Also, I’m going to be able to sleep in my own bed tonight. All of these things combined to help me feel much more positive & like we’ll get through this.
I had a chance to listen to my voice lesson from last week as well. Things are going well & I think I’ll have a chance tomorrow to practice (maybe even on Thursday too!). That would be wonderful. But, the fact that I got to listen to it & take notes is fabulous.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 4:19 pm. 0 comments
Well, as you can tell, I like to end things with “…” a lot. Don’t know why. I guess it’s because I feel at a loss for words?
Today I’m feeling very fragile. Instead of getting better, my husband seems to be getting worse. I don’t know. I’ve cancelled a couple more voice lessons so I can have time with my girls. Practice time for me has become non-existent, plus I am unable to concentrate on much of anything. Where will I go from here? I don’t know right now. Should I just give up on the solo voice stuff? I’m a good teacher. It demands a lot of time. I LOVE improving & working on my voice & I love to perform & know that I’m having an emotional impact on the audience. But, what must I sacrifice in order to do this? Am I willing to make those sacrifices?
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 12:22 am. 0 comments
Today my husband is in the hospital. I am in dress rehearsals for Tosca with Arizona Opera (chorus, but…). I have 2 young daughters (ages 4 & 7). I have a not-quite-full studio of voice students. I have an audition coming up next weekend. Life is insanely complicated right now.
But, I have to find ways to do it all. I’ve found that I need it all to be happy & fulfilled.
