- Mercedes Benz Versus Kia September 9, 2011
You can compare Mercedes Benz to Kia Motors, or the Ritz-Carlton to Motel 8, or Payless shoes to Jimmy Choo’s, or Tiffany jewelry to that from K-Mart’s. The list of similar comparisons in this world is endless. You have mass market products and you have those that are tailored to a different, more elite customer. Designer ...
- Master Classes August 30, 2011
What, exactly, is a master class? A class taught my a master, no? Seems to make sense. I have seen my share of master classes, unfortunately, by people who have not, themselves, mastered anything. One memorable one was taught at Juilliard by a very very famous accompanist who had worked with all sorts of important opera singers. ...
- Opera, Yes. Trash, No. August 27, 2011
I believe that new opera, written by living composers is indeed alive and well. Sometimes new interpretations of old operas can work, too. While in Berlin I saw a performance of “Orfeo” (by Gluck for those who are not operafiles) in which the Orfeo was a rock guitarist and Euridice was his drug addled girlfriend. He ...
- The Performing Arts August 23, 2011
The decline overall in respect for all performing arts is ever more apparent in the arts themselves. If you do not educate children to understand and appreciate the performing and fine arts, including the classics, you end up with people who have not had a chance to develop discrimination and what has to be called “good ...
- Gun-Tottin’ Brünnhilde August 19, 2011
Do not bother to see the last few performances of “Annie Get Your Gun” with Deborah Voigt at Glimmerglass Opera House in Cooperstown, NY. Truly, save your money. Ms. Voigt is a genuine operatic star, and deservedly so, singing the big gun operatic roles, but she should stay there. She may have done music theater in ...
- Perception August 5, 2011
It’s all about perception. It’s about your point of view. What we argue about, what causes strife and even wars, are different points of view. When you are attached to your point of view as if it were LIFE ITSELF….uh oh. If you can’t see that what you believe and what you think and how you ...
- College August 5, 2011
I have frequently encountered research done on college students. It has been such that the work implies that what was done on these college students applies to everyone. I venture to say it does not. I attended the PAS 4 conference in San Antonio a few years ago. One of the presenters had dozens of research ...
- Caring Too Much Is Such a Juvenile Fancy August 5, 2011
Caring too much ……. a lyric from “Falling in Love with Love” from Rodgers and Hart’s The Boys From Syracuse — it is a lovely song. I always wondered, how can you care too much? I’m Italian. I yell because I care. I don’t understand passivity. I know, being tranquil is good. Staying calm is ...
- Learning to Listen August 2, 2011
Singing teachers listen for a living. Most of them have not been taught to listen. One of our participants in the most recent Somatic Voicework™ training said that she had been “waiting to respond” instead of actually listening. I think that’s typical. We are busy thinking up a response and not actually hearing, taking in, thinking ...
- "The Goal in SVW is NOT to Make Resonance" July 6, 2011
I wrote this in a post on this blog in 2006. I was asked to explain further but I did not. It’s a little late, but here it is. You cannot “resonate” the voice, the sound, the tone, or anything else. You cannot resonate a piano or a horn. You cannot “resonate” anything. Resonance is a ...
- When Singing Is Not Just About Singing July 3, 2011
Sometimes people need to take singing lessons for reasons that have little to do with singing. We have, in our society, quite a bit of abuse. Some of it is discovered and addressed, but much of it is hidden in various ways. People who are victims of abuse are frequently not heard when they speak up to ...
- Live Sound July 3, 2011
I believe that it is very rare for people to sit in close proximity to a well trained voice and hear it acoustically. I think most people in our society hear amplified voices. There’s nothing wrong with this, especially if the equipment is good and the venue has good acoustics, but it is not the ...
- Muscles Stick Together July 1, 2011
The muscles of the body are connected by fascia. This is a thin film of fibrous material that allows muscles that are attached or crossed over each other to slide. Sometimes the muscles develop attachments due to injury or atrophy and “stick” to the fascia, stopping the natural movement from taking place. Sometimes, the muscles ...
- Releasing the Muscles of the Throat June 29, 2011
Manipulation, that is, the deliberate moving of the muscles deep within the throat is a bad idea. It is, however, how most people eventually learn to sing. Many people do not ever sing with free production, being taught from day one, to “do something”. There is much talk about free singing…..singing on the breath (as ...
- Still More About CCM vs Classical June 27, 2011
One of the primary differences between classical singing and the varied styles of Contemporary Commercial Music is what happens when we sing. In classical singing, research has shown that the larynx usually sits low in the throat (near the bottom). In loud classical vocal production the vocal folds are pressed together firmly while they vibrate in ...