I’ve been using the analogy of the trampoline lately in approaching high notes. If someone is on a trampoline and wants to go high into the air, do you stand in the middle of the trampoline and jump up? No, you jump into the trampoline and let the momentum “ka-boing” you into the air. If you just jump up, you won’t go very high and you’ll probably fall down and hurt something. Point being – ground yourself, support the lower note and the high note will be there for you (assuming your articulators are all free and nothing else is in your way).
Of course, I’ve never actually been on a trampoline, so that analogy is strictly from observation. I’m afraid of heights, so going up into the air is a frightening prospect, albeit less frightening than it used to be. I was afraid of high notes for the longest time, but they’re less frightening than they used to be also.
So now that I’ve had this big realization that opera and classical singing really need to be a part of my life, where do I take this? I’ve decided that it is time to plan my recital for next fall. I’ve hired David Sytkowski to be my accompanist, I have a tentative date (September 23) in mind and will be finalizing with Dr. Harper at Carroll University in January, and I have a program in mind:
Rossini – the two pieces I sang this past Sunday and another
Marx and/or Zemlinsky
Kilpinen
Either the Judith Weir pieces for the Classical Celtic program in March OR
Libby Larson’s “Love after 1950”
Two musical theater pieces:
“Here alone” from Little Women
and
“Fable” from Light in the Piazza
“Dodecaphonia” by John Corigliano (the only place you can do that piece is in academia)
So that’s the plan. I’ve taken a few practice bounces, and I have a couple more in mind. Now it’s time to go for the big jump.
Leap and the net will appear.
Ka-BOING!