Ian Sidden

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Break the Ice Daily

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Yesterday, I shattered the ice
To draw water-
No matter, this morning
Frozen just as solid.
–Rengetsu

Imagine that a friend walks up to you and tells you everything about you (incorrectly), pushes you around, and in the process greatly offends you to the point where you doubt your friendship.

Do you do that to your singing voice? Arctic_ice_melt

Your voice is the result of actions taken by your body, and that body is always in flux and changing over time. Therefore, literally, you have a slightly new voice every day. You must take time to relearn it.

Your improvement at singing will be short lived if you are getting better at forcing your voice into places that it does not want to go. If you do not break the ice and pay attention to your voice, then you may not have a voice by the end of the day. It will have left you just like Rhett left Scarlet; frankly, my dear, it just won’t give a damn. It saw that you wanted it to be something else, and it cannot do that.

Accept that you are beginning again every day and treat your voice like a precious object. Explore it. Play with it. Listen to it. Challenge it but ultimately accept it for what it is.

Be kind, and your voice will reward you.

Weekly Gathering

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U.S. vs. Lenny from Alex Ross’ The Rest is Noise blog links to his articles in The New Yorker about the government’s interest in Leonard Bernstein.

Technology in the Audition Room from Once More With Feeling is a furious attack on those who use various technologies while auditioning people.

Fatty Foods Affect Memory and Exercise from the Well blog reports on a study done showing that high fat diets not only hurt cognitive ability but also lower the effectiveness of exercise. So the double cheeseburger before a show….should probably be let go.

Weekly Gathering

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Sometimes the posts listed here will be from non-music sources, and I think that’s just fine since we as singers need to develop all of ourselves to improve.

The Healthy and Fit Algorithm

from Zen Habits is a good reminder about the little steps it takes to remain healthy.

Prospective, Upcoming, And Current Music Majors -Here Is A Great Little, Free, Ear Training Program

from MusTech.net has a good looking ear training program. As the author reminds us, ear training is often a killer in college programs.

Employee or Entrepreneur? The Pros and Cons of Self-Employment

from Get Rich Slowly is a good piece that discusses the personal gains and losses from entering the self-employed life. For anyone who wants to teach a private studio or work as a solo artist, there are some good points to consider here.

Tapering for Performance

on Music Teacher’s Helper: Blog is a good piece about the changes to a teacher’s strategy when a student is approaching a major performance, such as a recital.

Eating to Fuel Exercise

from the Well blog on the New York Times site is a good reminder about when and how much to eat. As someone who has definitely eaten too much before a performance (and not enough), I found much of their advice to be applicable to singing.

Music Review- ‘Traviata’ – Renee Fleming Casts Caution Aside as Violetta

by New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini is interesting for what the author values most: the acting. He excuses some vocal faults due to the intensity of Fleming’s performance.

NYT Article: Health Insurance

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This is an article that lists options for people who have recently lost their jobs and their health insurance along with it. Such information may be especially valuable for young singers who do not have a job with benefits but are too old to remain on their parent’s plan.

Here.