akintsucrooner

My new voice student Brian comes to me with a great drive and natural talent. It has been crucial in my own vocal development over the years to know myself as much as my emerging technique. Work on the enneagram as it relates to our vocal progress has also been helpful. Brian astutely shared today that if he gets a note wrong, he feels it in the gut. And when he learns something, he goes all in and builds as much knowledge as possible. We looked into how he resonates with the enneagram 5 investigator and it was helpful with overall release and breath connection. Some days I do envy an instrumentalist who can put away their instrument in a case. Singers carry our instrument and all that life retracts on a daily basis. Not for the weary. ❤️ #enneagram #voiceteaching @brianconnolly123

I am so inspired by the modern day focus on navigating our emotions healthfully. Recently, a colleague said to me “death and I are well acquainted”. They were referring to coping with the somber and increasing regularity of peers passing away.

My mom currently faces the imminent loss of a dear friend and fellow musician, Doris Kirk. They have experienced their maid and matron worlds together over the past 50 years. Now the end of life is near for the strong and fiesty Doris.

As a child watching the profiles singing group perform, I’ll never forget how enamored I was of the Andrew Sisters/tap dancing trios Doris was a part of in my mom’s women’s choir.

I am especially grateful how supportive Doris, Joy Law, and my mom’s other friends were when I came out as an adult. Their positivity and lack of judgement was so helpful to my mom.

My mom is very sad about Doris but perserving. I admire my Mom’s ability to help others especially the sick and elderly.

If you feel so inclined; any prayers and healing thoughts for Doris and my mom would be greatly appreciated. (Doris is 2nd from the right)

By E. Perryman

1. Prices were everywhere from 1 dollar for everything to shoes costing more than Walmart prices. I was much closer to the 1 dollar fee; wanting to have some remuneration but appreciating my items going directly to someone. Shoes seemed to be a popular item. All 8 pairs of mine were sold.
2. I am currently on the weekly clock that time forgot. I’m readjusting to a mountain time vacation and just pulled an all nighter; anxious to make sure I was ready to sell at a flea market. Not gonna lie, the wee hour morning existence doesn’t completely suck. Wait, what.
3. Lady with a great salt and pepper “Karen” haircut bought a lot of my stuff including a paisley Fanny pack that she promptly attached and wore.
4. People wanted to buy everything, even the stool I was sitting on. Actually if I do this again, I need a better seat for thy tuchus.
5. I brushed back tears with a lump in my throat when meeting a couple of nurses who wanted some of my plus clothes for their nursing home patients on hospice who don’t have many clothes.
6. Said by a sporty senior citizen: “No more cooking for me. I’m just bummed that when the husband dies, I have to take over all the bills. “
7. Lady across from me thought Eliz was my daughter when she heard me call her peanut. She asked Eliz if I was her butter. I told her that Eliz was my wife; that I got me a young one. Huh, I guess I’m a gay cougar. I was glad this all worked out because earlier in the day while guarding my stuff which I was strongly instructed to do, I overheard a lady say: Don’t call me a lesbian! I’m gonna punch you in the throat.”
8. Vendors really knew each other. The flea market really had its own community. I was called the “first time, nice lady. “ Many of the vendors with diverse backgrounds kindly helped Eliz and I exit the parking lot in her flexible Versa. They had a fun and supportive rapport which was nice to witness because some of the political shirts and banners were not easy to see.
9. The lady who bought 2 bags of stuff from me said happily as she left: “It’s time to go on home, close the door, and listen to my fave tunes.” 
10. Many petite customers really enjoyed my clothing styles for sale. When seeing my non single digit sizes they said: “ooo pretty…..ahhh too large.”
11. I am quite sure I met a relative of Don Jose’s Carmen from Bizet’s grand opera. This vendor spoke to me about how they didn’t want to work or pay taxes. They just wanted to live free with no rules. And I was thinking at the time, I’m grateful for the clean port a potty. Btw, I did have a special visitor depicted below. 😉

Northern Arizona Family Visit 8.2023

1. There seemed to be a plethora of fake eyelashes in North Phoenix this trip out.
2. People were much more talkative in AZ. I missed my tacit NJ shopping trips where they know your sandwich order but aren’t big small talkers.
3. Colorful Eddie Bauer-esque windbreakers with a back flap seemed to be popular especially among boomer men.
4. WTF is up with the AZ earring prices this year, even copper; 40 bucks to turn my ear green? No, thank you.
5. My fave western stores had less merch and exorbitant prices even compared to home.
6. Maybe it’s generational as I speak with my non-smoker deep voice but I found that many women over 60 in the southwest speak with sweetly affected high voices.
7. Some staffer seemed to be having fun at the Williams AZ library. Books prominently displayed next to each other were “Lock Hillary Up” and “Indict Trump Now”. It’s a mixed political bag here.
8. Northern Arizona August Sunflowers/wildflowers are truly lovely. Even the afternoon monsoon weather sun/rain showers are beautiful; clearing almost as soon as they arrive. We still gasp on our annual canyon trip after all of these years.
9. Night sleeping in northern Arizona is proof that God loves us, at least for the Gen x gal. I slept under the covers without a fan in the high 40s night temperature. What.
10. This adage came out of my mouth often on this trip: Never pass up an opportunity to use the bathroom after 50.
11. The Newark NJ passengers waiting to fly back home are a diverse crew. I love where we live.

BOARDING THE BEL CANTO ARIA ARC #akintsucrooner

Senza Mamma Excerpt: https://youtu.be/3Gv71KoMKKg

Or is it arch? In my quest to be specific, I found this description below satisfying.

“An arc is an imaginary mathematical shape defined by a segment of a circle, while an arch is an architectural solid, often, but not always, based on one or more arcs.” Michael Dresdner

So I shall hereby refer to “Arch” when finding the authentic musical flow within the native language of an aria. 

Today I found more depth in my musical Golden Arches (sorry I’m hungry) with my Italian vocal coach. 

As a deeply steeped midwest American English speaking lass, (love me some back rrrrs) I found the following bullet points below to be true today when my vocal architecture most closely matched artistically and linguistically. 

1. VOWEL DISTANCE: There is a closer distance between the vowels especially in Italian pronunciation when there can be multiple vowels on one pitch.  
2. MOTION: Getting energized motion in my breathing ocean is vital for a singer; no innuendo intended. Especially in the case of a piano reduction, if the accompaniment is tacit, the energy needs to move with intention and not stagnate. 
3. ARTICULATION: Whether it’s the “kw” (mine Chicago-ese is known to provide annoyance to my coach), consonants are best articulated in front and with immediacy. 
4. DIRECTION: It is so important to be clear and coherent regarding  where the phrase ebbs and flows; sometimes made more challenging with traveling through the passagio. 
5. GILDED PORTAMENTO: Finding the special moments to add a stylized portamento (that doesn’t lag) will add an additional beauty of nuance and texture to the overall musical shape. 

In grab bag nature/nurture of life, I got a variety pack of characteristics that continue to un-vacuum seal as I age. Some of my more challenging characteristics include being too reactive, pent up anger, sometimes impulsive, and saying something intended to help at the exact wrong time.

But there is good news. I am generally hopeful with a positive tude and I often have a lack of fear in learning new shit. Thanks, Dad. Some may call this attribute less than bright. Truth be told, after the fact sometimes I think, what did I get myself into now…..

Today was my 2nd time music director leading and cantoring at a mass from the loft across the large sanctuary from the altar. This entailed playing the recorded organ at the exact liturgical time and singing along with specific tempo recorded. The liberal Protestant that is used to less formality and ritual in worship luckily didn’t devolve into flames. The 2nd rodeo was actually kinda fun; despite my annoyance at my short Sicilian legs that aren’t quite long enough to wrap under the bench but are annoyingly close to hitting the pedals.

Giddy up.

Allyson Carvajal’s voice lesson highlights:

1. She is my first voice student who has referred to her formidable singing voice in the 3rd person as ”she” 😂
2. She’s astutely observed when we found freedom in her breath she wasn’t “hoarding air”.
3. I realized quickly that this talented whippersnapper sings G5 and above like she ate it for breakfast so descending high to low vocalizes were the conduit to balancing the registers.
4. Fomo of the tongue and jaw lost the battle tonight. 😎🥳🤩

AC Summer Excursion 2023 Takeaways:
1 & 2. We enjoyed exploring the Marina and Inlet section of AC. The “Taylor pork roll” and Crab cakes were delish.

3. Feet + Sand=Happiness
4. Popcorn styles are making quite the showing from clothing to flip flops.
5. This Summer’s Barbie Fever Pitch is all encompassing.
6. What? An upright piano purse at my fave AC boardwalk shop? My store merchant pal Basil (since 2003) always knows what I like…..
7. Sonic & Squish-mallows are all the rage with kids this summer.
8. I always enjoy seeing old fashioned sheet music; in this case “the alcoholic blues”.
9. I love sneaking up on the peanut.
10. I am friends with my alabaster gams in my middle age.

Hear ye, hear ye! Today is a special day!
(and I am clearly a product of the Chicago profile singing group parodies/below is written in the spirit of Janet Morelli)

Are you ready folks? (Aye, aye Elizabeth!)

I can’t hear you (aye, aye Elizabeth!)

Oohhhhh!

Who lives in a village in Chicagoland?
(Janet Perryman!)

Delightful and funny and joyful is she!

(Janet Perryman!)

If Outlander Heughan be something you wish…

(Janet Perryman!)

Then grab some moscato and sequins and sweets…..

(Janet Perryman!)

Happy Birthday….
Happy Birthday….
Happy Birthday…..

JANET PERRYMAN!

NJ weather this week earns a mighty craptastic rating, imo. However, there was a highlight that made me forget my perpetual state of perspiration. I witnessed an incredibly sweet rapport between the summer arts students. These students vary from 4-12th grade. In the words of Frances Robles Alvarez, I had me a brief spell of the allergies today. A middle school student joyfully ran to a visiting recent HS grad who had been especially kind and nurturing in the past. This whole “don’t be a douche nozzle radical kindness” business (which was less than prevalent during my 70/80s nursery school to college years) has been über helpful to me as a human and teacher. Giddy up. #childrenwilllead #kindnessiscontagious