Jeannette LoVetri

Erik: I miss you! I’m honored that you read my blog posts and I thank you for your kind words. Your loyal friend in NYC. JL

Wonderfully stated. Thank you.

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Glad you are coming, Amber.

You have to train your throat and body to handle emotions. The stronger you feel them, the more you have to develop strength in your body and throat to be able to allow them to flow through. Functional training ought to make that possible but not if your singing teacher doesn’t understand that. On your own, you might be able to teach yourself, but you will have to be patient and listen to the messages your body and throat give you. It can take a while.

Suzan, it is so that all of us who feel music deeply in this way “hear” these performances when we are ourselves in other realms. I believe that our dream state, free of linear time, allows us to go visit such performances. Knowing your open heart and keen sensitivity, I’m sure you “attended” this performance while you slept (especially since it was three hours earlier there and had not yet caught up to you). Thanks for the sweet comments.

“Bel Canto” isn’t a method, it’s a period of time and music written by a group of composers during that time. Therefore, there isn’t anything that is or is not “Bel Canto” except those things. If your classical training was grounded in good function, then you are likely to have good results. If not, anything is possible. If you rely upon “resonance” (or placement) and “breath support” as your primary tools, and you have talented singers who have little training, you will also do well. If, however, you are working with advanced professionals who either have severe problems or need to hone specific skills, you may find that traditional classical training only goes so far. There is a great deal of difference, FUNCTIONALLY, between Mozart and Motown, particularly for a female, and it isn’t at all just a question of style. In fact, that very idea is the source of a great deal of difficulty for many singers. Congratulations for doing well with your students. If you find, however, that some of them don’t do so well, before you blame them for failing, take a look at the systems of training that are available that focus on CCM training and see what they have to offer. You might be surprised at what’s out there for you to learn.

Sandy: Every word of this is a made up joke that I wrote. It is my parody of many things I’ve heard over the years. It isn’t construed as actual factual writing of anyone, least of all ME. Thanks for your comments. Jeanie

Thanks, colleagues. Good to know that you all “got it”!

I stopped going to popular movies in 1968. I attended “The Devil’s Brigade” the day Bobby Kennedy was shot. I watched the blood and guts spewing on the screen and I got up and walked out. I have not seen a war movie, in a theater or at home, since that time. I did not want to add my own consciousness to stories about war, particularly ones which were made for “entertainment purposes”. Similarly, I have had to turn off mainstream prime time TV recently because the level of graphic violence was sickening. Particularly the stories about serial killers torturing women (like the recent shows on SVU featuring Mariska Hargitay) are insulting. This is done for all the wrong reasons and it has nothing to do with first amendment rights or liking censorship. A civilized society does not tolerate things that we have become inured to on a daily basis. Your students are lucky to have a wise teacher who helps them learn discrimination and taste — two things our current society sadly lacks. Thanks for your comment.