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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”

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”

Curating and Cultivating Community

And curiosity. And creativity. And cleverness. I really like words that begin with the /k/ sound (I figured that sounds better than saying “I like C words, ” which was what I started to type and then said, “Oh wait…”) That’s what World Voice Weekend is about. I strive to have my studio be aboutContinue reading “Curating and Cultivating Community”

Creativity + Intelligence

I like creative people. I like smart people. So I like creative, smart people. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many in my life, both as a performer and as a teacher, and to be friends with quite a few as well. I saw this quote by Albert Einstein, and I couldn’t agree more:Continue reading “Creativity + Intelligence”

Expectations

I read a lot of political books. If you know me, you know which way I tend to swing, politically. I generally don’t talk about them in my business, because not everyone agrees on the subject, especially in this very divided condition we’re in right now. One of the books I read recently was JamesContinue reading “Expectations”

In the Service of Clarity

You may know that my favorite composer is Stephen Sondheim. My husband even gave me an autographed picture of him for my birthday (thanks to the family of Gary Lorenz, who apparently didn’t appreciate what their family member had and sold it on eBay). Sondheim has written two books on his lyrics (he meant toContinue reading “In the Service of Clarity”

Say Yes to Music

A few months ago, I watched a series of videos by Elly Ameling on art song, and jotted down my notes on them. Here they are (and I’ve added a few notes today, in italics): LEARN YOUR MUSIC “BY HEART” – so much more than just memorizing it. By heart. By heart – not onlyContinue reading “Say Yes to Music”

An Artist’s Impression of Art

An artist’s impression is defined  as the representation of an object or a scene created by an artist when no other accurate representation is available (Wikipedia). The above graphic has quotes by 17 different artists about what art means/meant to them. My favorite artist is Gustav Klimt. I have several prints of his in myContinue reading “An Artist’s Impression of Art”

Why I do this

I was asked by NextDoor, the national neighborhood group, to write a post for my business page on why I do what I do, using the hashtag #WhyIDoThis. I was limited to 1000 characters, so I recycled part of a post from last summer and part of the opening of my studio policies, which IContinue reading “Why I do this”

The Music is the Star

The performer is not the star. The music is the star.  The performer is the vessel, the performer is the channel through which the music passes as a prism and comes to the performer.                                           Continue reading “The Music is the Star”

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