akintsucrooner

Epic summer task: organizing musical scores and sheet music so it doesn’t take an act of Congress during the busy year to find music in a pinch. I use file folders alphabetically for loose sheet music which has been effective. I found a piece my dad taught me before I did the northwestern university voice cherub program my senior year summer. No tears for me as I left RBHS. College was definitely my window. Thank god for color guard, an acapella girl group with friends Diane Knigge Donnelly, being the jazz band vocalist, and my first 3 years of theater.  I had been taking lessons with my dad before the high school cherub program. He added a “high” ending (see added notes) as was Perryman tradition. I sang it for voice teacher Elizabeth Fischer at Northwestern in my first lesson. She looked at me oddly and said “we won’t be doing that alternative ending.” Good times. So glad for these written memories from my Dad. #gonetoosoon #warriorjanetcarrieson

“When the pupil is ready, the Master appears.”

Learning how to sing well: a feat and lifelong quest. Three helpful things I have found along the way: diversity, tenacity, and forgetfulness.

Diversity: in the way that many teachers help you prepare the stew; ingredients are dispersed and subjective.

Tenacity: in the way that you continue find a way to sing whether in a cafe or concert hall.

Forgetfulness: in the way that you store what grows your muse and consciously let go of what doesn’t serve you.

The singing road is unpredictable, fulfilling, disheartening, and transcendent.

There’s no spoiler or crystal ball. You may find your next muse randomly because you connected with someone after sleeping through an audition on a tired elementary music teacher fall Friday.

There are many layers to the onion that is vocal technique. The tears don’t linger. The answers are complicated.

For now, my heart is full to have found a special muse, and my brain is teeming.

And luckily my voice students humor me when their lessons are the day after my latest session. 😉

#akintsucrooner

Dear classically trained singers,

Have you ever gotten fuzzy brain hearing the statements below in your voice lessons?

1. Stretch up on inhalation.

2. Gather your embouchure into an oval.

3. Breathe into the vowel as you expand your ribcage.

4. Modify your vowel through the break with about 35% of a narrow (i).

5. Anchor your body when you sing without holding tight.

Can’t you do all of the above naturally without thinking? You’re such a throat. Jeez.

Welcome to college voice lessons 101. Musicians enter here. SINGERS, line up here. #slightlybittersingerptsd

My brain is a bit of a misfit so these concepts don’t completely seem foreign to me. As my voice as merged, blended, and found heightened placement over the years, these singing principals have laid a strong foundation for my vocal technique.

But it took a while to implement. Heck, I’m still heightening, releasing, and stretching daily. I was never one of those people who just did it right.

Singing is a puzzle. Some people know how to easily solve the sudoku without much consternation.

The mind numbing part of learning how to sing is that our singing puzzle pieces vary in size, scale, and weight. It takes the right mixture of teacher and student to solve the puzzle as there are multiple solutions.

And our voice comes from inside of us, the emotional part is huge. Many of us who are still singing later in life were somehow able to tune out all of the negativity we heard throughout our early years as voice students.

And our voice comes from inside of us so the emotional part is huge. When a teacher bellows, ARE YOU A DITZ, you can’t pack up your case and blame your issues on not paying enough on your instrument. Not that I ever had a teacher who would utter those words…;-)

This weekend, I listened to one of my elementary students sing the national anthem. He just finished 4th Grade. He sang in C major ascending up to high G holding pitch beautifully. He had a naturally lifted embouchure, deep and wide singers breath, and he modified his vowels when he got to the 2nd half of the song that hangs out in the soprano break.

Everyone will always have ongoing things to work on but what he did right was really impressive to me after completing many years of degrees and singing programs.

Perhaps, my student may have heard me modify vowels in class but I surely didn’t teach him the other stuff. I try to steer clear from pedagogic detail until I work with private student ages (high school and up.)

All that to say, it’s exciting to see Bel Canto alive and well in the 21st century, in this case through a fun loving and clever youngster.

#akintsucrooner

It is high time to spill the tea, let the hair down, and run me toes through the sand.

2018-2019 was a biggie. Maybe more than usual.

Lots of shiz went down: big work load, bills, staging fiddler on the roof for 10 year olds, turned the big half century milestone birthday, car repairs, fundraising, sgo math challenges for thy math impaired self, lots of no BS Verdi and Italian to memorize, Wagner in the pipes, and most significantly, my Mom’s 2nd bout with breast cancer.

It is a blessing that Mom is in the clear and now faces just 21 radiation sessions this summer. And all the other stuff which ultimately means little at the end of the day were accomplished.

This year:

1. I acquired led usb headphone fans this year.

2. Eliz and I danced with Chippendales on Fremont street in Vegas.

3. I sang my first Verdi role fully costumed with orchestra (thanks to Amore Opera) and loved every minute of it.

4. Ashley I from the Bachelor is marrying Jared!

5. I eat my feelings more than ever. They taste good.

I learned:

1. When memorizing an opera role, working small sections of a opera part every-time I get into the car, wait in line or even use the loo, helps a lot. Other helpful tools are writing down my text on flash cards, really knowing what everything means, and not freaking out when I forget the words the first time we stage. It’s really freeing to be ok with my feelings and let myself go on stage without nerves.

2. I really did need math after I graduated. Thanks, Jamie Egan.

3. I still struggle with triggers and reaction patterns.

4. My sailor persona rubs off, perhaps not so aesthetically, when working with voice students over a decade.

Anywho, here’s to a summer of getting shiz done, another year above ground, and a good ole clear alt delete.

#akintsucrooner

A JUKEBOX JAMBOUREE ODE

(Upon the birthday of MP)

6.3.19

By E. Perryman 😉

Mary by Lizzy and tumbling by day,

Archies and tiger beat, off on our way.

Juke box and slurpees and Erica Kane,

Zoo cookies were boss and Neal’s just a pain.

White Sox or cubbies, we’ve walked many miles, culottes and Izod, we worked all the styles.

Five decades have passed and our life goes along, I’m thankful our friendship is still going strong.

Happy Birthday, dear MP!

Love, the artist formerly known as Buffy

I have had 7 formative voice teachers since I was a very young singer. I have acquired diverse and important technical knowledge from each of them. Not one person, imo, holds the holy grail of singing. And not all teachers can teach all students. Singers, by nature of the instrument especially, respond differently to instruction. At the end of day, I find that language, energy, temperament, timing, care, and necessity connects a student to an instructor.

I worked with gifted tenor and voice teacher Mark Thomsen for a short period of time at UNLV. I will never forget the work we did on consonants.

Say what?

No that is not a typo, my bel canto-ists.

If vowels are the good proteins of singing, consonants are the complex carbohydrates.

Consonants have helped me significantly with the following;

1. Higher position

2. Register balance.

3. Forward singing

As with anything, finding my most efficient consonant and metabolizing them on the free breath is a continuing work in progress. But I will say, a well used F can turn a 60% throat day into a solid 75%.

So today, I was able to take a moment with a 5th grade boy who was struggling with the V on the passage below. His voice is less high anymore with a solid alto range these days.

The student was engaging lower registration because of V and singing under the pitch. 10 year old students are great cuz they aren’t afraid to try different things.

Usually singing a more piano dynamic helps to access the upper register. When that wasn’t successful, I had the boy sing “trail” instead of “vale.” His sound went to right spot with less work because of the unvoiced T.

He said “why is that easier?” Without overwhelming him with singer speak, I said “because you are moving air and working less.” He said “cool” and went to lunch.

So Mark Thomsen, thank you for your help. I never know when I’ll need various tuneful trinkets from my singing suitcase. Consonants are a great tool indeed.

#akintsucrooner

Never forgotten, dear victims of the tragedies of our times. Illness plagues us and solutions fall short. May I judge less, doubt more, and always remember. #akintsucrooner

Jan 1-May 9, 2019: 15 US school shootings.

Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas, 1914 – 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Meme’s ala Ballo

#amoreopera #nyc

#spring2019

Definition of “Why:” For what cause, reason, or purpose.

Definition of “Grace:” Approval, Favor, Mercy, Grace

Today’s insert in the Central Presbyterian Church bulletin included details about a personal safety training session that was being held after service. This is a first since I began reading church bulletins in the 1970s. Attendees would be given expertise regarding how to stay safe in a dangerous/lethal situation; at the mall, movies, grocery store etc. Necessary, yes, but also a sobering sign of living in the early 21st century.

Many people outside of my own cultural experience have always had to cope with unsafe living. I know I was fortunate to have known safety as a child which many didn’t experience worldwide. History shows that pain and suffering has been a human condition throughout the ages. Knowing that doesn’t make the dreadful NYC/NJ 1010 wins radio emergency music any less stressful when it breaks into the broadcast.

So yeah, news has really sucked, especially in recent years. Why is it happening? What do we need to do to stop it? Who’s to blame? What are the answers?

Fifteen years ago, I was more prone to believe that there is a reason for everything; there will be an explanation for life’s messiness. Closure, security, and solutions were most important. All answers will come eventually. When I met Elizabeth, she was less satisfied by absolute answers. She had an integral mindset and sought to dig deeper. She aspired to evolve beyond accepted beliefs. This was one of the many intriguing things that drew me to her.

Today after yet another tragic week of loss, Pastor Don brought down the gentle hammer with his thought provoking meditation.

Is God absent when terrible things happen? Or is God present along side of us?

Maybe God is actually along side of us as we navigate life’s grave challenges. Perhaps we are being called to go beyond the who, what, and why and fall into grace and mystery.

Idk. I really don’t. So much doesn’t make sense. Answers really do help; they at least give the illusion of having some control over life’s roulette. But not being alone and the possibility of relief from suffering is something that gives me pause and hope.

#akintsucrooner

#5619

By E. Perryman

#akintsucrooner

4.24.19

The latest in the edition of NJ stereotypes are alive and well even with the young folk……

On my trip back from Chicago today, I sat with two elementary aged kiddies en route with their family to Dublin, Ireland. There was no reclining for us in our basic economy seats. Their names were Vitaly and Jeulia. It must have been their first flight because they were so excited about everything: the tray tables, seat belts that they called mousetraps, the bathroom flush button, the complimentary drink, the magazine in the back of the chairs, and the tasty maple wafers. It was a pure joy fest. They called out erroneously as Jeulia looked out of the window “there’s the ocean! Which continent is that?” I didn’t have the heart to correct them. They reminded me of Lucy and Linus in “little known facts.” I stopped myself from my instinct to take a selfie with them. Imagine.

And then as it happens, we began our descent to Newark. The little girl said, “Are we in Dublin?” I said “We are landing in New Jersey. You probably have a layover.” The brother yells out in a now monotone voice, without skipping beat, New Jersey? Why do we have to stop in New Jersey? Dad, we are in New Jersey!

People not from the Garden State just don’t get it. NJ is a great state and this comes from a transplant. So be it.