Just one of the perfect warm-ups!

            Brahms' "Four Serious Songs" (Vier ernste gesange) entirely on a hum (closed mouth and relaxed) is the perfect warm-up for the voice.

Works on following:

• phrasing (A LOT!!), 
• definitely connection of the breath (management and control), 
• onset and offset (still more breath connection), 
• tension (these areas are immediately recognized and can be addressed with relaxation techniques and correct breath onset, etc), 
• pitch (you can really tell which sections need to be lifted more and need a more energized breath flow and raised palate), 
• characterization (this goes back to phrasing but you can really focus on the intended character with just the music). 

The addition of text (with correct diction and articulation) will make this even more profound). I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I'm typing this simultaneously as I hum with Brahms (hehe).

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQgd7M3BJdg

Thanks for reading!

ARE YOU THIS PREPARED?!!

It is every musician’s nightmare to go blank during a performance or simply prepare the wrong piece. Just to think about it almost seems like something out of a horror film, but it does happen. It could be miscommunication throughout the chain of command or simply lack of preparation on the performer’s part.

Performers experience this all this time but on a smaller scale. Missed notes, incorrect phrasing, mispronounced text, demolished diction, early or late entrances, and more. But to prepare for an entirely different piece altogether is something many would just fall apart due to pure shock and disbelief or fear. However, in the video below, renowned pianist Maria João Pires experienced this in a grand way. Watch the expressions of horror and dismay when Pires realizes that the orchestra is playing an entirely different concerto than what she prepared for. Communication was certainly lacking here but NOT how she presented herself. This is astounding!!

This excerpt only goes to 3:37 but this is a powerful example of how amazingly music can permeate throughout your being IF you put it there. This is a level to which I am striving and have yet to get there but as Pires demonstrated it CAN happen.

Conductor Riccardo Chailly said, “She was shocked because she was expecting us to play another concerto. So when I started the first bar of the d minor Concerto, she kind of jumped! And Panicked! Like, like, like an electric shock, I think. She couldn’t [even] see that in her playing. Then we talked for a moment and she told me, ‘I was expecting to play a different piece I will do what I can do if I remember.’ And the miracle is, that she has such a memory that within a minute she could switch to another concerto without making a mistake.”

Pay attention to 2:17- 2:48, how she is bringing everything up from within to perform. If it wasn’t in there, it was not going to come out. This can only be with a level of preparation that leaves no room for mistakes, blips, slips, etc. The beauty in this is in the power of the relationship between music and performer that has been cultivated through hours upon hours of preparation and study. This music is certainly part of her. If it were not, this would have been a disastrous performance.

The effects of no sleep are dangerous

Busy rehearsal schedules, lots of practice and more practice (at least we hope), homework, late nights after a performance then early mornings for work or school, time spent with family or the significant other. No wonder you’re tired! I’m sure there are quite a few things that find their way into your daily schedule that were not mentioned but you know what, a schedule like this is certainly the cause for the little to no sleep you are receiving. As a musician, what’s worse is this has a direct affect on your voice. This post will focus more on vocalist but a few reasons for why little or no sleep is not good for anyone will be shared.

How I find out for myself?

While attending Converse College (great school for music), I was also pursuing a second Master’s degree program, running a business, working a full time job, in a relationship, working as a church section leader and soloist and teaching Kindermusik. Obviously, I wasn’t getting any sleep. The only time I did manage to receive more is when I rearranged my schedule by missing the first class of the day or going to work a little later. Big mistake! Sleep was not my first concern and it should have been. My vocal studies and the efficiency of the work I did in all other areas of life were affected.

Well, as you can expect my body decided to cope with the unfortunate situation about a year later. The doctor informed me I developed acute stress and insomnia. My brain just decided not to shut down, since I was forcing my body to stay up anyway. Devastating on the voice!!

Here are a few things that lack of sleep generally causes:

Lack of focus - You are drastically impaired because the body isn’t rested. You are less alert, forgetful, the ability to think and concentrate proficiently is impaired, which means the ability to retain information is low. Your ability to interpret and asset is also impaired. Even your ability to determine how much sleep you need is off. You begin to think you’re used to the amount of sleep you’re receiving. 

“Studies show that over time, people who are getting six hours of sleep, instead of seven or eight, begin to feel that they’ve adapted to that sleep deprivation -- they’ve gotten used to it,” (Gehrman, 2010). “But if you look at how they actually do on tests of mental alertness and performance, they continue to go downhill. So there’s a point in sleep deprivation when we lose touch with how impaired we are.”

Asleep while driving - I was asleep behind the wheel for over a mile on an extremely curvy road. Someone was watching over me for sure.

Wrinkles anyone – Bags under your eyes, puffy skin. Lack of sleep releases more cortisol (stress) than collagen (protein). Stress causes wrinkles, collagen gets rid of them.

Accidents – While working and certainly driving will occur. You are more likely to make mistakes due to an attention deficit.

Quite a few health problems – Irregular heartbeats, stress, anxiety, heart attacks, heart failure, more prone to heart disease and developing insomnia, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes.

No sex drive – Yes no sleep causes issues with sex. There is little drive and or interest in sex because you’re tired, have no energy and the body is tense. Also, no sleep affects the amount of testosterone released at night.

Depression – No sleep is taxing on the body. This wear and tear of the body causes depression, which makes it even more difficult for you to sleep.

Weight gain – No sleep causes stress right (we’ve mentioned this before). Stress is a direct result of weight gain. That’s one of the reasons why lots of people use exercise as a stress reliever, myself included.

How does this relate to music, the voice?

When you lack sleep, certainly the above mentioned occur. In addition to them, the length of your tessitura is more than cut in half due to stress. The vocal folds become swollen and will even burn as if you are having a sore throat or something such as laryngitis. The thoracic area is unstable because of no sleep. The shoulders and neck area become intensified with stress, which will cause more strain on the laryngeal pharynx. Your onset and offset will require a tremendous amount of effort because of support issues. It’s not pleasant in the slightest.

Not only that, your breath is off. You need breath to give life to the voice. Without it you cannot sing. You cannot phrase. You cannot properly control the dynamics required in beautiful singing. Most people tell themselves, “Oh, I’m just not warmed up enough.” No, there is not enough sleep for your body to operate correctly.  Get sleep. It will save you a world of heartache and keep you healthy.

                                                                                                                               

Resources

Phil Gehrman, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and clinical director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Lizz Wright - Hit The Ground (Live At The Cutting Room)

This sound, this singer's voice is where it's at. I love how pure, relaxed and attentive this voice is to SOUL. It's such an amazing influence for singers/vocalists such as myself to hold true to YOUR sound, your purpose in singing and expressing. This article post is purposed to encourage you; through music, with a sound that helps bring out the essence of what being soulful is.

Enjoy!

Operatic Roles

This article will briefly talk about some of the roles individuals hold in operatic theater. Singers who are new to the operatic scene are sometimes unfamiliar with the terminology used to describe various roles. I have compiled this brief list as an educational tool for singers regardless of their level of experience. Some of these terms have been also used in other genres of music.

Prima donna – This title goes to the first lady in operatic productions. This is the leading female role.

Primo uomo – This title goes to the first man in operatic productions. This is the leading male role.

Banda – This is exactly what it sounds like (haha). This title goes to the band. This group makes up a small supplementary music ensemble that is used in opera.

Comprimario/a – This literally means “with primary.” These refer to supporting roles held in opera productions.

Concertino – This term means “mini concert.” This group is smaller, more virtuosic and is comprised of musicians in a concerto grosso.

Coro – This refers to the opera chorus. This is an ensemble of vocalists who perform throughout the production and sometimes take on additional roles.

Diva - This term refers to a leading female singer in an operatic production.

Ripieno – The remaining musicians found in a concerto grosso. This term also refers to filling or stuffing. I actually do not like the use of this words later meaning. It’s sort of offensive but I think it needs to be shared for knowledge sake.

Convenienze  - This refers to the rules regarding how singers are ranked in opera. The word literally means conveniences.

Maestro – This is the conductor/master. Also, this can refer to the music director, any music teachers involved, also composers or other prominent musicians or singers.

Maestro Sostituto – This is the Substitute Master or Substitute conductor.

Maestro collaborator – This is another term for Substitute conductor.

Maestro suggeritore – This refers to the prompter.

Stagione – Various key members and also crew crucial in staging opera.

This is where the studio is heading

The Internet is great. It has helped businesses to expand into areas where only a decade ago it was impossible to market and advertise. Research, purchasing opportunities and even communication with friends and colleagues across the street or across the globe is now possible. Ben Cameron in his TED talk: “The true power of the performing arts,” talks about the arts Reformation (going on now) is like the Religious Reformation. It will be based on the development and spread of the Internet. 

Remember, the Spiritual reformation asked the following:

•  Who’s entitled to practice?
•   How are they entitled to practice?
•  And indeed, do we need anyone to intermediate for us in order to have a Divine Experience?

Music is now having the same reformation, which asks similar questions.

•              Do I need to go to a concert to listen to a song I can simply view via YouTube, Facebook or   somewhere else?
•       Is the individual scheduling a concert, event, etc really qualified? If not, I can just listen to someone more qualified via the Internet to save time?
•       Do I really need to go to a physical concert in order to obtain my musical/aesthetic experience? 

Thanks to the Internet, one business with a physical location now competes with between 3 to 5,000 additional marketing tactics for the same product and service. There is continuous concern in the Arts world concerning the amount of concert tickets sold. I think a quick look at how technology has affected everything will address that. Concert attendance levels are dropping while the number of arts participants (those who write poetry, listen to music, compose songs, etc) is exploding. Technology isn't bad. I think it's great! However, it is imperative to look at how technology has redirected previous attendees, business operations, etc. Otherwise, you will be left in the dark. And what's worse, not keeping up will be detrimental to survival.

Before

In the 1930’s you had to work with companies such as Warner Brothers, 20^th Century Fox, Paramount and a few others if you wanted to start your own movie. You needed the producers, the movie sets, editing sets, scoring, music and of course lots of funding. Only a specific group could afford or even had the opportunity to do so.

After

Now, middle school aged students create movies in the comfort of their homes. Individuals have the opportunity to create and distribute film and music creations across the globe. The cost and availability of the Internet has made this a possibility for all who have the desire to create and display artistically. There is now worldwide distribution of products and services like never before. Venues such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other venues make this possible.

As a result

Thanks to the development of the Internet and Technology, the distribution of the Arts has been democratized for the first time in human history. The performing arts are now at a place where they will be more important and readily available than they have ever been. We do not want to miss this opportunity to participate in this fantastic distribution of music. Stay tuned to find out how we plan to get involved.

The Business & The Plan

Writing a business plan can be a daunting task. Who am I kidding? It is a daunting task! It’s a challenge but it is essential to the start of any business. What I’ve learned and I’m still learning is the business plan is primarily a model or template of what you expect your business to be. Will the business be exactly as you’ve predicted in the actual business plan? No! Don’t misunderstand me though. You do want growth as indicated; however, the methods chosen to get there may not be as you’ve planned. The entities involved in the development of an actual business; you or any partners and the actual business, are organic. So, expect things to change.

When a true entrepreneur is involved in business planning, it is good for him or her to create a business plan to organize and document the desired structure of the business. Carl Schramm does not think the business owner has to follow the completed business plan step-by-step. To him the business plan become obsolete after some time has passed. I must say I somewhat agree with him. Business plans are great for recording your thoughts, ideas and intended plans about the business. Be realistic in planning but do not limit yourself to the information provided in the plan itself.

Relax, be yourself

Schramm’s ideas about the entrepreneur encourage us to be ourselves. Continue to think outside the box. Learn from present and past experiences, jobs, personal and professional relationships in order to establish and build an efficient knowledge base. Where I differ from Schramm is that I believe the business plan should be updated periodically. Your business will change there is no doubt about that. However, your ideas and intentions for the business are likely to change or at least adapt to circumstances. There are circumstances and situations, which will be inevitable.

Following a business plan to the tee and not straying from it at all is in my opinion, following the norm. Entrepreneurs use common sense but they do not follow the status quo. That’s one of the reasons why they are in business in the first place. Again, business plans are important but do not live by your business plan only. You are asking for all kinds of disappointment.

What’s important in the plan?

The most important section of the business plan is the financial statement/forecast. Investors want to know how you intend to make money. These intentions will be instrumental in securing additional funding for the start or expansion of your business. What I found interesting is that Schramm measures the person, not the business plan to determine whether or not to invest in a business. This is something to consider when planning for the financial future of your business.