singing and spirituality
Rejoice and breathe, the time is here,
Dis-ease shall seep, the path unclear.
(Price of victory)
Rally and hope, their time did toll,
But edges are sharp, no rest or knoll.
(Challenges ahead)
Hold fast your stead, it stays for good,
Look not behind, or reside falsehood.
(Stay true to yourself)
Shine-stripe-outline, color bright and do crease,
The patchwork pursues and will find its new lease.
(Create as you so choose, new realities are here.)
#akintsucrooner
#11072020
Ruth Falcon was a part of my immersion into the intense and driven opera world. By George when she asked me where my high C was, I knew it was high time to find a reliable one. And it’s there for me with bells on at 51, thanks to the stretch up, heighten, and flexible air movement.
Our 2 year work together was no nonsense. It was focused, and not overly emotional. If I was not fully prepared for a lesson, she knew and wouldn’t allow it. I saw her a few times at my performances since 2004. She would always come up to me and give me a solid “well done” compliment. I especially appreciated her positive feedback after singing Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux.
We may not been that close as I was especially “edited” in those Mannes days but there remained a mutual respect.
I chuckle to this day when I sing Marietta’s lied. There is a section in the middle that is spoken; the singer wonders: “I know the song. I heard it often in younger, in better days. It has yet another verse—Do I know it still?” Ruth loudly retorted “NEIN” at me as my German was a bit pedestrian.
Her fall must have been very frightening. I hope she felt peace and love as she transitioned.
Up until a few days before her fall, Ruth continued to like my art, flower, and singing posts. I’m very glad that I mentioned her in a recent post as one of the people who have contributed as I’ve evolved as a singer. She warmly responded which I appreciated.
Sing your C’s on high and get that angel choir in check, RF. 🎶❤️🙏🏻
https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/music/article_f3e107ea-130b-11eb-96f8-9f064c72eebc.html
To Anthony Bargellini, a dear person, talented cathedral choir colleague, and a joy to be around; rest well and sing with the angels.
Prayer for The
Eternal Rest
Eternal rest grant unto them,
O Lord, and let perpetual light
shine upon them. May the souls
of all the faithful departed, through
the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Being human ain’t easy. When I’m my messiest human self and can still feel forgiveness, love, and acceptance, I’m embarrassed but grateful. To me this is the core of my beliefs; that despite my inadequacy, I’m still loved. No matter how many good acts, perfection isn’t attainable. This, as well as judgement and right fighting, to me, are the worst of us.
“With Karma you get what you deserve. In Christianity Jesus got what you deserve.”
“Grace is the opposite of Karma.”
Karma, a Sanskrit word that roughly translates to “action,” is a core concept in some Eastern religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. Though its specifics are different depending on the religion, karma generally denotes the cycle of cause and effect — each action a person takes will affect him or her at some time in the future. Today, people use the word karma in ways that are not wholly consistent with its traditional meaning. For example, karma is often misused to denote luck, destiny or fate. Karma is also misused as a way to explain sudden hardships. With karma, like causes produce like effects; that is, a good deed will lead to a future beneficial effect, while a bad deed will lead to a bad result. If someone commits a good deed for the wrong reasons — making a charitable donation to impress a potential love interest, for example — the action could still be immoral and produce bad karma.
#akintsucrooner
True or False?
1. If you take a big breath when you sing, you’ll have plenty of air to spare.
2. If you breathe from the diaphragm, you’ll have no breath worries as a singer.
3. If you hold on to control your breath, you’ll never run out of air as a singer.
——————————————————-
HOPEFULLY you bellowed FALSE to all 3 of the erroneous statements.
We already breathe. At least we are breathing now if we are lucky.
When singers make sound, the best sounds come from a heightened and directional use of the breath we use every day.
The word for a singer’s breath is often called “support.” Vocabulary is so often inadequate. The word support can mean vastly different things to various people.
However you define a singer’s “breath support,” I will assert the following:
“A singers support is only as good as how the breath moves and flows from the body. ”
Or so I’ve found.
I don’t care how epically “huge” my inhalation may be, if I am physically tight when I make sound, I will run short of breath.
Today all of my invested voice lesson shekels yielded their continuing worth.
I had a gig to record tracks of liturgical music. I needed to match the track, stay rhythmic, and sustain extended phrases. Ubi Caritas in particular is a deceivingly challenging ditty that has singer sand traps a plenty.
When it comes to breathing and making music, every voice has a different tank of fuel (aka breath.) My tank moves a set of vocal cords that runs on more cylinders. If I am tight and holding tension, it is harder to get my motor running especially on music that is less easy for bigger singing engines.
So I opened up my tool box and got to work. Stretching my body, lifting my palate on the breath, heightening my vowels, and moving my breath in a forward position got me in the zone. I found the pocket related to my particular instrument that helped me integrate the piece into my throat.
So yeah, many thanks Mom and Dad, your sponsorship continues to make good on its returns.
#akintsucrooner
“Just do it” doesn’t come so easily to us mortal singers. Having an easy access to an “au naturale” voice is most often a result of years of dedicated vocal training.
When I first meet my students, they are usually 5 years old. Most children need to learn how to access the upper range and negotiate pitch. Fun Halloween songs are a great tool.
The best singers in my experience are made. Nature provides the diamond in the rough; sizes and texture does vary. Figuring out how to groom the rough is the hard part. Success is based on the tools you acquire along the way (and of course tenacity.) If you’re lucky, the experts you encounter are helpful, kind, and careful with your instrument as you collaborate to grow your technique.
At the end of the day, singers have to be their own advocate. My “willfulness” has had its advantages. I have the ability to smile, nod, and ignore “advice” when the vocal guidance feels like crap in my throat. My oppositional instinct has been known to engage even more vehemently when the vocal guidance becomes like a cultish rite of entry.
Singing au naturale is not usually a come to Julie Andrews moment for most. With good modeling and routine, most people, especially youngsters, retain fairly quickly.
Singing is a physical, mystical, and visual language all of its own.
This week, I started the warmups with the kindergarten. Even with the not so reliable google live meet format, most of the kids are a work in progress in finding their octave. A few of them out of at least 80 could naturally track melodies and patterns. It is always fascinating to witness.
Even with my advanced singers, finding the au natural/basic core sound, (in this case through the ng as in siNG,) is a part of the continuing growth.
Today, one of my singers found her most gloriously free A5 today through a series of non efforted and free ng vocalises. As her sound released, I thought of my LSU voice guru giggling. Patt was always so tickled when I would continue to release. I feel grateful to be able to share her wisdom.
I found a good excerpt (below) about the use of ng in vocal studies. Charmaine Brown sums it up well.
Finding my au naturale voice throughout the years has been a result of 2 tools in particular. My singing safe contents continue to hold close and dear the ng and my ever loving (i) vowel.
Whether you typed your first resume or attached it from the cloud, we can do this.
Whether you’ve copied from carbon sheets or blue-toothed to the copier, we will conquer.
Whether you handwrite your attendance or add a chrome extension to tally for you, we shall emerge.
Whether you’re teaching from your living room or masked from your classroom, we are capable.
Whether the stomach butterflies have been ongoing or intermittent twinges, we’ve got this.
Connection, dedication, excitement, care, and energy remains our source whether it’s the dot com generation or the time of the plague.
Breathe, laugh, and be gentle with yourself. If we’ve learned anything, change is a constant.
In bocco al lupo.
E. Perryman 9.5.2020
#akintsucrooner
This past month, I taught a couple pick up voice lessons to a parent of a student of whom I’ve worked with for the past 3 years at school. Her child has continuously demonstrated an intuitive musical sense and is able to quickly implement different approaches. Well, now I know why. Mom has this ability X 10. What a great voice. So exciting. It was so fun to prescribe solutions to various challenges and watch her adapt and adjust.
When I have the first few lessons with a new student, it’s an intriguing unpacking. There is the small percentage of singers who just do it right. Most of us have to hone, adjust, strengthen, and routine to make it sound “easy.”
(Vocal pedagogy talk is about to ensue in case you want to bid farewell)
The investigation aspect of teaching voice comes down to some of these singing elements.
VOWELS: What sounds (vowels in particular) work most efficiently? Everyone has their own unique aural response to this inquiry. Me? (i)
BREATH MOVEMENT
How much air is needed for that range and phrase? What direction of air most accommodates your individual phonation? (size/height/depth of voice?) Me? Ongoing breath flow work.
CONSONANT/APPROACH
Which consonant or intervalic approach will assist the most authentic release of sound?
Me? Unvoiced consonants like (f) on wide intervals.
INHIBITORS
What part of the body is inhibiting freedom in the sound and what is the singer protecting or insecure about?
Me? Upper body holding/arms-torso-stomach
ASSIMILATION
How can you most effectively combine the answers to 1-4 to implement an even vocal production? Me? Combine vowels on arpeggios using f and i as a locator.
DAILY SINGING LOT
And at the end of the day or shall I say the beginning of the day, we wake up with differing easeful singing degrees. Unless it’s a 50% singing day and one should just shut up, vocal technique will assist and solidify the consistency of your sound. Don’t forget to appreciate and care for the few days a year that your voice feels like a brand new Mercedes.
We had an enjoyable summer jaunt exploring Youngstown before the new year begins. We visited a local winery and botanical gardens. The town history is very interesting. It seems like this town is rebuilding. We caught a wedding about to start at the gardens, Eliz added about 20 more geocaches, I got to go to my fave store Meijers, and we saw a Stephen King worthy house, usable for the Carrie White homestead. I’m happy to report that people were masked and distanced. I’m sad to report that only one place had postcards.
Things I learned:
1. Youngstown is half way between NYC and Chicago as well as half way between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
2. It is in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.
3. Railroads and steel made this town prosper.
4. Youngstown was the 5th largest city in the US in the 1920s. It was hit hard by the depression.
5. Before 1920, Youngstown had a diverse population of people from Lebanon to Italy. Martial law had to be called in for rash of kkk violence against ethnic groups in 1920s.
6. 60% of the population left in the 1970s when the steel industry was failing.
7. Mill creek park is the oldest park in Ohio and is in the national register of historic places.
8. Butler museum of American Art was the first of its kind in the US.
9. The Youngstown musical scene is vibrant with the symphony (in the spot of the former Warner Bros movie playhouse,) and the Covelli Center of the Arts.
#youngstownohio #millcreekbotanicals #luvabellawinery
#geocaching
ZOOM A ZOOM A ZOOM A ZOOM
Theater camp on zoom actually works. Breakout rooms are like choir sectionals/small group instruction. You can really accomplish a great deal.
SPILLING THE TEENAGE T
According to most of the Gen Z campers (13-18):
A. Theme 2 of Memory from Cats is unnecessary.
B. When asked what they like to eat, some may say “their feelings.”
C. They don’t know Beverly Hills Cop or Eddie Murphy but they do know Popeye (only because it was referenced on the Office.) Wtf.
D. Watermelon is good if it rings after you spank it.
E. Finding where to sing syncopated “but” in a song provides the same amount of humor as it does the single digits.
F. They have realized that practicing actually helps. Crazy, I know.
G. Parting words from one 16 year old was “you only die once but you live everyday.”
YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE
Singing is challenging but possible. Acapella is essential for accuracy. Having the students sing with piano track on their second devices hides nothing. The younger kids are more fearless when it comes to singing and don’t realize it can be hard.
ICE BREAKERS
Teens took a little longer to warm up than the littles but when they do, it’s on. Tears, warm messages, deep feelings about tomato pie, and true connections were felt on our last today.
SOLFEGE IS CLOSE TO GODLINESS
Some of the kids had done handsigns and solfege. A great thanks to their music teachers who have taught them this language. It was supremely helpful when trying to help kids negotiate chromaticism and harmonic shifts of “One Hand One Heart” and “Marian The Librarian.” Those pieces ain’t Disney musicals.
INTROVERTED EXTROVERT PARADISE
One very special almost senior said she appreciated that the entire cast was actually kind. Yeah, that broke my heart a bit. She and I bonded over not minding a necessary quarantine in high school. Wasn’t my most enjoyable hour. This too did pass gratefully.
CAREERS AND FINGERPRINTS
We spoke about how it’s ok to be sad and careers are as unique as individuals. Everyone carves out their own path in this crazy business. But being able to have a theatrical, athletic, and musical life skill as an adult can be life sustaining.
#akintsucrooner
#summerduringtheplague
