The celebration of Black History Month is over, although Black history continues to flourish and enhance society (check out my studio FB page for the 28 artists to whom I paid tribute during February). Now it is March, and it is Music in Our Schools Month! (AKA MIOSM) Not everyone knows this, but my undergrad degreeContinue reading “Music in Our Schools Month”
Tag Archives: Mezzoid Voice Studio
Holding vs. Sustaining
There are two words used in singing (especially choral singing) that I think should be stricken from the face of the earth: HOLD CUTOFF We’ll deal with cutoffs another time, but right now I’m going to focus on the word “hold.” Often, I find that my students have trouble “holding” a note. They run outContinue reading “Holding vs. Sustaining”
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”
Are you an Offensive or Defensive Performer?
I was looking through my blogpost ideas for today and came across something I saved marked Offensive/Defensive, and I thought it would have something to do with football (the Super Bowl is this Sunday). But it actually came from a Seth Godin post about offensive/defensive behavior and finding the place in between. It pertains more to marketing.Continue reading “Are you an Offensive or Defensive Performer?”
Phlegm Happens – but why?
During cold and flu season, I’ve had many students interrupt their singing by coughing, clearing and pointing at their throats, saying, “Oh, sorry, phlegm.” And my response is usually, “Hey, phlegm happens. And please try not to clear your throat.” For years, I have wanted to create a sticker for my studio that says: PHLEGMContinue reading “Phlegm Happens – but why?”
National Get Up Day
Today is National Get Up Day, a holiday created in 2017 by U.S. Figure Skating to commemorate the end of January (National Skating Month). For those of us with wobbly ankles who only remain upright on the ice with the assistance of well-placed friends on either side of us, how does this impact us? OtherContinue reading “National Get Up Day”
How Singing Mozart Taught Me To Count
[Warning – adult language ahead] Now that I have your attention: Today is Wolfgang Amadeus (although some write it as “Amadé”) Mozart’s 265th birthday (and he doesn’t look a day over 250). As a lyric mezzo-soprano, I have sung a lot of Mozart. I loved the movie Amadeus My favorite contemporary composer, Stephen Sondheim, has beenContinue reading “How Singing Mozart Taught Me To Count”
Why Community Matters to Me
We think of community in terms that may or may not be positive. Community theater is often thought of as less than in quality and value than professional theater (NOT TRUE) Community college is where you go when you can’t afford a “real” college (NOT TRUE) A community choir implies that there were no auditionsContinue reading “Why Community Matters to Me”
Memorization Techniques and Tips
Memorizing music and lyrics always came easily to me. Whether it was classical or musical theater, English or a foreign language, I could learn music and have it ready to perform just like that <snaps fingers.> Not so much anymore. Maybe it’s aging. Maybe it’s lack of practice – before I moved back to MilwaukeeContinue reading “Memorization Techniques and Tips”
So How DO I Actually Focus?
I’ve picked my Word for the Year, and it’s FOCUS And that’s all well and good, but exactly what steps am I taking to facilitate this? It’s not enough to say, “This year, I’m going to focus,” or even to establish on what you’re focusing, but what am I doing to ensure that this actuallyContinue reading “So How DO I Actually Focus?”