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”
Tag Archives: singing
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?”
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?”
2021 In Review
Well, THIS was a year. Let’s review it, shall we? (Buckle up, there’s a lot – although it’s still shorter than Dave Barry’s annual year in review) January:Sang for a televised Mass in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg (masked) Started taking Peter Jacobson’s Alexander Technique Teacher Training programContinue reading “2021 In Review”
Creating Your Own Holiday Traditions
I have written before that I grew up without any real holiday traditions. My dad was Slovenian (or at least that’s what I was told – in recent years, I’ve been told secondhand that he was born in Slovenia to Croatian parents) and my mother was Estonian. You would think that my childhood Christmases wouldContinue reading “Creating Your Own Holiday Traditions”
Stephen Sondheim, 1930-2021
Last Friday, immediately completing my 5 Tips for Giving a Great Golden Age video, I opened up Instagram to see a post from Rachel Bloom with no words, just a picture of Stephen Sondheim. As I glanced down the screen, I saw more pictures posted by other people, and I said, “no, no, no, no….”Continue reading “Stephen Sondheim, 1930-2021”