What is the best thing I learned in my vocal technique over the years from varied influential teachers? Figuring out what vocal tools I require on less than 80% throat days. Life will life and in my case, this week my throat is currently cohabiting with thick coat grass, pollen, and dust allergies after a week of public school music teaching. When having a gig with a high tessitura as I do tonight—I find as much oo as I can muster and breathe where I must; my throat requires it. Susan Graham’s wise words at LSU in the early 2000s continue to ring true; warm up at the level of fatigue and edema.

https://youtu.be/xP5ZUnkahgI?si=m3qmYTTOutVDEiU9

Happy heavenly birthday to my sweet, savvy, spirited, and strong willed Grandma Janet Alice Elizabeth Alonge! Grandma lost her mom when she was in her 20s. She married during the depression. My Grandma wanted to go to college to be a teacher but needed to work to help support the family. She had to give up her job at the Burlington Railroad when the 2nd world war began because only the male spouse could keep the job. She sang in the chorus of the mikado at Morton East and always wished to have a little girl who had a beautiful voice; a dream that came true with my Mom. She and my grandfather Michael built their house on Arlington in 1942. My German grandma endured anti German sentiments after 1946. She lost her husband in his 60s; outliving him by 27 years. She was a breast cancer survivor. Grandma was a bridge whiz, poker player, avid reader, loyal grandma, epic crepe maker, and stylish dresser. I loved going to her house for lunch in elementary school. She would toast open faced cheese and sausage sandwiches for me. I loved to hide behind the door. She always acted surprised. I loved going to ponderosa in the new north riverside park mall with her. She enjoyed my “devilish” giggle. We went on many trips together including Germany and Ireland. She played the piano into her 90s. Elizabeth Honer heard her voice on the phone saying “I love you” in the fall of 2003 when she was in her last days. She was my friend. She had an adorable giggle. I will always miss her.

American Songbook recital coming soon ❤️❤️❤️

I am so grateful that my dad expressed to me while he was alive how much a gravestone and site meant to him. I didn’t feel the same personally but now I am so glad to have this continued space to visit him after so many years.

A HOPE VIBE
By E. Perryman #akintsucrooner
Why Easter 2024

ARISE

HEALING
ORIGIN
PURPOSE
ESSENCE

VALUED
INSIGHT
BELONG
EXPAND

#legacy #BeyondTheGrave #indeed #mydad

CACHE
By E. Perryman
3.30.24 #akintsucrooner

I pause and I recall, a summons is now alive with an aching call.

Instinct meets my knowing, my core shifts for relief, unsettled and empty, I escape my former belief.

Walls close in and sleep slips thru, dawn clears the cache and intention renews.

Recalibrate, reset, review, and reframe, take the now and fill breath, time to own and sustain.

“The lesson of Good Friday is to never lose hope — or at least give it 48 hours.” Robert Breault

goodfriday #lent2024 #newarkcathedral #cathedralchoir

In 1975, my mom Janet Perryman and brother Neal F. Perryman came up with the slogan “you’ve come a long way for Riverside, Illinois bicentennial. I can definitely relate to their sentiment with regard to my journey as a singer.

Below is a clip of my dad and I singing duets a decade apart; 1991 after undergrad, and 2001, 5 months before he passed away. Today I was describing the long singing road I have faced to my voice student. Over the years, I have been challenged with cracking, pushing, spreading, range issues, compression challenges, and breathiness etc. In the 1991 clip, I had a robust head voice that eclipsed my lack of Italian vowels and imbalanced baby dramatic soprano registers. Singing my big girl rep by mid 1990s would force me to figure out how to sing with my voice. By the 2001 clip after a rebuild with my Chicago teacher and my voice/alexander teacher Patricia O’Neill at LSU, growth has come. Since then, I continue to find more compression ease, release, language, artistry from my Mannes work with Ruth Falcon and Anthony Manoli and beyond with Giovanni Longo. The 2nd clip is my “Du Bist” from last fall’s walkure act 1 with Lou Kosma and Green Mountain Mahler Festival. The first and last clip are 32 years apart in my singing life.

https://youtu.be/ejJ-Ghb_y0U?si=nUZ6LMsDBUUCBdhX

SINGER SEASONS
E. Perryman 3.11.24

It’s not such a bad thing to suck at something. As a singer, my middle voice used to suck. My registers used to suck. My vowels used to suck. My breath compression continues to evolve but it most definitely used to suck. As a late-blooming singer, it took dedicated time and money not to let the suck pop out of my mouth.

In undergraduate school, I’d listen in awe to the beautiful singing of upper class collegians including Gina Brown Swickard Kim Peterson-Quinn Jodi Prosser Muller Jeannie Weinland Craddock. At that time, I was often cracking thru my large, baby dramatic, breathy passagio. I wasn’t sure how I’d ever find their ease (thank you again for that magical ng on the breath Jerry Daniels).

The voice came. I was wearing 1.0 readers by then but it has evolved and it’s here now. With a village of loving and selfless voice teachers over the years, my voice now is free, reliable, and healthy. I have collected a full case of tools that help me address any challenges that may arise as life continues to life. I continue to coach, refine, and connect. My connection with easeful breath compression will always be a work in progress and oh yeah, along with my homegrown Midwest dipthong and R issue.

So the good news of crossing over singing suck-gate over the years is that I now know how to help myself, help myself. I know firsthand that it gets better with personalized tools and a collaborative teacher student dynamic.

Tonight, I had a delightful time working with longtime singers who cantor for my colleague Paul Rajah. We worked in tandem virtually in our session. They needed different things which I know in my own work is so important to discern as a teacher. We used vowels, compression, and body awareness to build personal vocalizes. It’s a joy to help longtime singers recalibrate and regenerate their sound.

So even though it stunk to cope with a slew of singing critiques and disinterest in my voice, it has helped me in the long run to have to figure it out from the ground up. In short, listen to your intuition and ignore the naysayers. The only thing we can rely on is change.

It might not be the worst idea to regulate who sings the star spangled banner as a SOLO in large, high profile arenas. It could carry a warning label such as “exercise extreme caution while operating this heavy vocal composition”. Perhaps we could add additional national anthems from which to choose. SSB is VERY hard to navigate if you don’t have a high belt or a solid 2 octave access. I teach it to my young kids for that reason. They really learn how to navigate the registers.

My top two favorite pop versions:
John Denver: https://youtu.be/ea-9qyTpERg?si=TC_a_-MWnGma_1e3

The ultimate: Whitney Houston.
https://youtu.be/_n9bxfxE25Y?si=8gZ35hPNmmZqm4Rs

Worldwide, I especially love the South African national anthem; it’s singable, stirring, and well written. Clinton van Zitters David Sylvester Moira Kalakoda Pieter Human Sifu Philipp Hackert

Click to access National%20Anthem%20sheet%20music.pdf

IDOL EPISODE 1 SEASON 22
Alright, alright, alright!! Two armrests up for a strong showing of talent, poignant backstories, and unique characters on episode 1. I enjoyed tuning in even after all these seasons. I’m glad AI shows more talent now and less train wreck vaudeville acts.

My faves: Mackenzie Sol, Triston Harper, Blake Proehl (love the tenor range), Micaela McCall (lovely natural mezzo access), Odell Bunton Jr (WOW/DAYUM)