Author Archives: Mezzoid Voice Studio

Boy, that sounds cynical. And it’s 9/12 today, so what’s the point of writing yet another post about how yet another person never will forget 9/11 and remembers exactly where he/she was when everything happened? Of course I thought about 9/11 multiple times during the day – if you were on the internet, had theContinue reading “The obligatory 9/11 post”

I am grateful that my summer schedule was so full, and that I got to enjoy working with returning students (Maureen, Julia, Elyse), and with a whole bunch of talented newbies (Grace, Grace, Rose, Joanne, Luke & Anna), as well as the rest of my wonderful students. I am grateful for the opportunity to workContinue reading “Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am”

When I started this blog, I intended to write once a week about singing- and studio-related things only, venturing into the personal only as it related to the main topic. Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, my last blog entry was July 15… and forgive me for self-indulgence but I want to write aboutContinue reading “Transitions”

Today I had to tell a long-time student’s mom that I could no longer work with that student anymore. There have been too many no-shows, examples of thoughtlessness, “forgetting” checks, breaking promises … and I haven’t been doing the student any favors by accepting excuses, rescheduling missed lessons, or accepting payment weeks late. It hasContinue reading “Letting people go”

I just sent out an email to my students to set up the 2009-2010 schedule. I lost about 10 people at the end of this school year – 6 graduated, 4 decided to move on for various reasons. But I replaced 6 of them, and several of the current roster decided to increase their lessonContinue reading “Putting together the fall schedule”

1. When a student posts a line of a song I’ve given her or him as his/her Facebook status – “I’ll find myself at the end of the world where the earth and the sky are one.” 2. When a student tells me she’ll remember singing the Dead Nuns Chorus from Carmelites for the restContinue reading “Top Ten Things That Make Me a Happy Voice Teacher”

I can now sing the repertoire that caused people to say, “Ms. Thomas, why are you singing this aria?” back in my 20s. I’ve started working with Connie Haas – I had a couple of lessons with her before she went to teach at Eastman a few years ago but by the time I couldContinue reading “One good thing about getting older….”

Last week, Skylight Opera Theater announced the elimination of its artistic director and company manager positions, and consequently, the termination of the two people filling those positions, Bill Theisen and Diana Alioto. I have worked with both Bill and Diana – Bill in the 80s, when we were both in the Skylight’s Gilbert & SullivanContinue reading “What the Skylight means to me”

I just read an article at the music teachers helper website about auditioning students for acceptance in your studio. http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/?p=693&pg=blog&action=taking-on-new-students-developing-an-audition-process#comment-104851 I’ve thought about doing this from time to time. On the one hand, it ensures that you are going to have students who are serious and who can read music, who can hold a part,Continue reading “Auditioning students”

This past Sunday was the annual high school showcase. This year I had decided to focus primarily on my juniors and seniors and go with more of a cabaret format. I wound up including a few sophomores after all but we still kept the program at 20 people total, which allowed us to go withContinue reading “A good week: Two performances – one for them, one for me!”