I’ve given some thought about the guiding word for 2023 and I’ve come up with one. Tessitura. Here’s the definition of tessitura, via Wikipedia: In music, tessitura (Italian: [tessiˈtuːra], pl. tessiture, “texture”; English: /tɛsɪˈtjuːrə/) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer or less frequently, musical instrument, the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or characteristic) timbre. This broad definition is often interpretedContinue reading “My Word for 2023 – Tessitura”
Category Archives: Mindset
So that…
In improvisational comedy, actors are trained to use the prompt “yes, and” in order to accept what their scene partner has given them and expand upon it to take it further. It doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with your scene partner, it just means that you heard what they said. I think it’s somewhat relatedContinue reading “So that…”
The Music Makers
The first time I ever heard the line “We are the music makers – and we are the dreamers of dreams” was in the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Although the movie came out when I was still a child, I never saw the movie until I was an adult (I can count onContinue reading “The Music Makers”
Personal NOT-Victories
In last Thursday’s blogpost, I wrote about some of my personal victories. But what about the times when I did not emerge from the stage victorious? What if I felt as though I was a failure? Failure is such an awful word, so instead of recounting my “personal failures,” I’d like to recount some ofContinue reading “Personal NOT-Victories”
Personal Victories
I was reviewing my blog notes for inspiration, and came across some things that I had written up for the Singer’s Journey course I took in 2021. I’ve drawn from these before, most recently in What’s on Your Life Playlist?, in which I looked at music that influenced my life. Today I want to talkContinue reading “Personal Victories”
Professionalism: Standing Out Vs. Sticking Out
Whether you are singing in a school or community theater production, going to audition for a college program, or singing in a church or community choir, the thing that will set you apart is an attitude of professionalism. I’ve written before about being a good colleague, and that’s a large part of it. Show respectContinue reading “Professionalism: Standing Out Vs. Sticking Out”
Wishful Thinking: Seeds for Action
Wishful thinking is defined as: : an attitude or belief that something you want to happen will happen even though it is not likely or possible —Brittanica Dictionary You could also call these fantasies, delusions, magical thinking, pipe dreams. Nonbelievers would also call prayers a form of wishful thinking. A lot of songs are written aboutContinue reading “Wishful Thinking: Seeds for Action”
Yoga and Voice Practices
As I mentioned in a recent blogpost, Grit and Creating a Practice, I committed to doing 30 consecutive days of yoga at the beginning of this year, using videos by Adriene Mischler of Yoga with Adriene. And, surprisingly, I’ve kept it up! While I’ve written before about how cross-training relates to singing (mainly based onContinue reading “Yoga and Voice Practices”
Blaze a Trail
How do we blaze a trail as performers? As students? As teachers? What is that next step that will set us apart? As performers and students, we need to focus on things other than learning the skills needed to pass a test, win a competition, and get into college. As teachers, we need to beContinue reading “Blaze a Trail”