Author Archives: Mezzoid Voice Studio

When I first met my husband, I wasn’t much of a drinker. In fact, he was horrified on our first date to find that my beer tastes ran to Miller Lite and my wine tastes ran to White Zinfandel (writing that horrifies me as well). It’s amazing we went out on a second date. Well,Continue reading “How Making Cocktails is like Practicing”

Years ago, I was invited to present a vocal technique workshop at the Polish National Catholic Church church musicians conference. (This is not Polish people in the Roman Catholic Church – different denomination.) That was when I organized my vocal exercise sheets around the concept of BRAAP: B – BreathR – ResonanceA – ArticulationA –Continue reading “Vocalise Project”

One of the things on my bucket list was to become licensed as a Zumba instructor. I think I’ve been doing Zumba for 9 years now, and from 2008-2013, especially the last year or so, I did it 4-5x/week. And was in the best shape of my life. Last year, I finally had the timeContinue reading “Zumba is my jam”

Last night I auditioned for a role that would’ve fit me like a glove. It was the role of Francesca in Bridges of Madison County, originally sung by Kelli O’Hara on Broadway. A leading role for a legit soprano of a certain age (meaning older than 35). It’s being done by Dundalk Community Players atContinue reading “Feast or Famine. Dammit.”

 I have been trying to meditate for years. But I’ve been plagued with lifelong monkey mind (some might call it adult ADD) and have been unable to sit still and contemplate my navel. And I figured that perhaps that’s just not my thing. After all, I have found that that kind of focus and restContinue reading “Mindfulness v. concentration”

Someone wrote on FB today: Let’s pretend we’re creating your mantra – three words you say to yourself when you need motivation, inspiration, courage or strength. What is YOUR three word mantra? So I wrote what I’ve come up with as my approach to breathing, specifically for singing: Release / Receive / Resist. Actually, IContinue reading “Release / Receive / Release / Resist”

I’ve been thinking a lot about the terms “staying woke” and “awakening.” The Urban Dictionary definition of “stay woke” is “to keep informed of the shitstorm going on around you in times of turmoil and conflict.” It is often associated with movements such as Black Lives Matter, but is also being used with the resistanceContinue reading “The Awakening/Staying Woke”

Energy. It’s really all about energy. That solemn joy and that sudden spark (from the song “Our children” from Ragtime). Your energy on stage, whether you’re acting, singing, dancing, conducting or playing an instrument, has to be palpable. It has to draw in not only the audience but your fellow actors. There needs to beContinue reading “Solemn Joy and Sudden Spark”

I have a lot on my mind right now, but this was the thing that spoke to me in my morning meditation (which was on the subject of lobsters, of all things).

As a classically trained singer, I have been trained in the International Phonetic Alphabet so that I can sing in a myriad of other languages, some of which were required of me academically, others contractually, and some just because I wanted to. I have sung in Italian – multiple operas, art songs, etc. French –Continue reading “Singing Outside the Box (is that a good title?)”