Lessons Learned

I sat and listened carefully as she sang the final verse of the song the second time.  I smiled widely and nodded with encouragement as I heard the emotional connection lock in to place as a result of an adjustment I had asked her to make.  Her young voice, although beautiful the first time around, freed up and soared the second time as the meaning of the words hit home.  After she finished, she looked at me as her eyes lit up, “that was better!” she told me with excitement.

I hadn’t expected it to feel so rewarding.  In fact, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I accepted the request to give some voice lessons to two of our friend’s daughters.  I had no experience teaching; my music education degree becoming quickly dormant as I pursued my performance career.  I did, however, remember every great technique that my best teachers had taught me and was thrilled to share what I learned with these two young and talented girls.  It quickly became clear to me why people teach and especially why people teach voice.  There is something incredibly thrilling about being a part of someone’s vocal breakthrough, or when you see the lights come on in someone’s eyes as they understand a concept you were explaining to them.  I saw myself in each of their young faces and heard my voice in theirs.  My two pupils were already bitten with the singing and theatre bug and were supported by parents who were encouraging their every step towards their dreams.  I reflected on my thousands of hours of sweat and sometimes tears in my own voice lessons as I got to know my voice and worked through all of its millions of nuances.  The entire experience was a wonderful infusion, wiping away any exhaustion I had carried with me from the New York bus ride the night before.

Thank you so much!” each girl said to me with excitement as they gave me hugs when the lessons concluded.  “Of course!  It was my pleasure!” I said and hugged them back, turning quickly away as they walked out of the room, working to keep my watering eyes at bay.

Keep your confidence clean

With excitement, I gathered my materials and talking points to be used during the 10-15 minute talk.  I had been invited to speak to the cast of Hatboro-Horsham High School’s production of Bye Bye Birdie before they began their Act I run-through.  They had asked for me to share my early struggles, my subsequent self-discovery through music, and my quest for making my way in the professional world of musical theatre.  Excited and flattered to be asked, I set to the task of deciding on what I would want to say.  I paused to remember my life at that age.  I would have been flushed with the newly discovered dream that would channel the life ahead of me and would have been close to embarking on my first role.  Walking in to the high school theatre and hearing the sound of happy conversations as kids gathered for rehearsal transported me back to those times.

The high school kids, along with a handful of younger junior high kids who were cast as well, gathered around the piano to sing their warm-up using lyrics that I later realized were a perfect backdrop to what I had prepared to talk about:  “If we want to be ready to sing, we must prepare the air, support the sound, let our mouths be round, keep our confidence clean, let our expressions be seen, so we can sing our song all day long.”  I listened as the entire group, harmonizing accurately, progress through several key modulations while warming up their voices.  What a great idea - to warm up with an inspiring lyric while also preparing for performance!  I was immediately impressed with the talent of the group – a reflection of a dedicated music department.

After the warm up, the kids sat in the seats to listen to what I had to say.  I took some time to talk about my background, even reading a blog post excerpt about my own awakening through music.  I touched on my songbook, training, work ethic and college preparation.  But the main things I wanted to focus on were mindset, confidence, chasing the dream, and never giving up.  If they are lucky to have found what they love to do at such a young age, they need to hang on to it and cultivate it as it builds confidence and self-esteem.  This is what will light their life and lead them to success and happiness.  That was the main point I wanted these kids to walk away with.  Mindset is the one thing, no matter the level of talent, that can derail them or take them to incredible heights.  I hoped I imparted the importance of the latter.  It was a highly rewarding experience to be able to have the chance to hopefully inspire another through what I had gone through in my life and to help someone else realize the validity of their dreams.  

I hope you have time to go and see these very talented kids!  Bye Bye Birdie performance dates are March 3, 4, and 5 starting at 7:30 PM at Hatboro-Horsham High School.  For information and tickets, email lforeman@hatboro-horsham.org or call 215-420-5521.  Break Legs!!

Every thing for the only thing

For years, I stood alone with my dream.  Like a mother with her child, I would protect my dream; not letting anyone near me lest they make one false move towards the dream, one comment; giving me any indication that I would be forced to choose.  How dare anyone ask me to choose? - to ask me to deny what I do?  There was always something in the back of my mind, old false premises running wild, such as if I go for the one thing I love, I mean, “really” go for it, it would be at the expense of everything else in my life, leading to loss because I sacrificed everything down to the wick.  Along with other bad ideas, I’ve dedicated this past year of getting rid of these false ideas because I really want to move forward and I can’t with things such as these dragging me down.  Some say they bleed for their art.  All of the hard work that I’ve put in over the past couple of years does not feel like bleeding to me.  I don’t sacrifice for a life that I’m glad to work hard for.  Sacrificing means giving up a higher value for a lower one.  Sacrificing would be to deny that dream that I have always wanted because someone told me to, because I was scared, or because I held on to bad ideas running wild in the back of my mind.

Earlier this month I attended a workshop in Manhattan given by Dallas Travers who helps to demystify the business.  I’m brain-deep into her book, “The Tao of Show Business:  How to Pursue your Dream without Loosing your Mind” which gives you all of the tools that you need to market yourself and build a successful career.  “Tao” translated means “The Path” or “The Way.”  I highly recommend this book.

I must find my Tao.

Ultimately, we want to work.

Dallas Travers

As I’ve said before, I love the Everything Acting Podcast, as they ”de-mystify the actor’s journey” by presenting podcasts about casting, auditions, creating your own work (one of my favorites), and running your career as a business, which I truly believe is a key to success.  The latest podcast is an interview with Dallas Travers, who’s advice is already causing a hand cramp from my frantic note taking.  This podcast interview touches on phone scripts for finding agents, email marketing, one sheets, and other tasty tips and processes too abundant to mention.  Her website offers much, much more!  Thank you, Dallas!  I’ve already signed up for the Free Thriving Artist Starter Kit and I’ll be perusing her website in detail.  As she says, she helps actors, “step out on a bigger stage” and calls herself the “actor’s advocate.”   I appreciate it!

Thanks, but no thanks

I used to start my mornings like this. 

As you’ve read here and here, I had given up, among other things, coffee (that I filled with cream and Splenda) from February to closing night. 

I was proud that I had held out the entire time, only cheating a couple of times with red wine but never with any of the other temptations.  I rewarded myself by stuffing my face with those endulgences all at once at the closing cast party last weekend….and then feeling sick.  My body was angry and so was I.  Why after weeks and weeks of absolutely no sugar or caffeine (resulting in some great sleep and weight loss) would I want to go back?  I understood in that moment the power of habit.  How they can help you or bring you down.

This week, back at work with no rehearsals on the horizon, I even tried to force myself back into the old routine of my morning and afternoon cup of coffee and was left feeling empty and unfulfilled with a sugary high/crash, bad breath and a chest cold (not that this was related but who knows?). 

I’m just not there any more.  I should want to always be on the top of my game – not just during a rehearsal/show period but during the in-between periods where the auditions live.  I need to be better, even in the smallest habits that make up my day.  If cutting this habit out makes me feel better, look better and, most importantly, audition and sing better, I just can’t go back.  The feeling of having a voice on par is far more rewarding.  So, eh - I think I’m done with the coffee, cream and Splenda. 

Chocolate  - don’t worry.  I’ll never give you up.  Ever.  So stop looking at me like that.

Jump

I listen to music for many reasons.  I put on the hardcore stuff to get me over the final hump in a 5K run.  I relax to it when I’m feeling stressed out or put it on to motivate me and get me pumped up.  My taste in music is all over the map from classical to R&B, to some rap songs, to musical theatre, to rock and so on, depending on my mood.  There is one song from Madonna that I’ve been playing on the DROID lately for motivation as of late.

I know, I KNOW.  Some people ….well ok… aLOT of people, including my husband, do not like Madonna.  I’m not a huge honkin fan either, not a fan’s fan.  But there ARE some songs that I like – mostly for the composition – less for the lyrics.  The song I’ve been listening to a lot lately is “Jump” (and I don’t mean the awful, jump-the-shark, “Jump” that Van Halen came out with.  Let’s just forget that entire album ever happened, shall we?).

It’s hard to find a song without explicit lyrics or boring composition that has something descent to say.  This is one of them in my opinion.  It’s not completely void of ideas that I don’t hold, but it’s pretty straight forward in the message.  Get off your butt, don’t be scared and just go for it.   I’ve put the words down below.  In this business, (i.e. the singing business), you need motivation from all different angles.  From friends, family, colleagues, and from music itself.  So, if you feel scared about taking a risk for something that you love, pop in this song and give it a whirl.

There’s only so much you can learn in one place.
The more that I wait, the more time that I waste.

I haven’t got much time to waste, it’s time to make my way.
I’m not afraid of what I’ll face, but I’m afraid to stay.
I’m going down my own road and I can make it alone.
I’ll work and I’ll fight till I find a place of my own.

Are you ready to jump, get ready to jump.
Don’t ever look back, oh baby.
Yes, I’m ready to jump, get ready to jump.
Just take my hands, get ready to jump.

Well, learned my lessons from the start, my sisters and me.
The only thing you can depend on is your family.
Life’s going to drop you down like the limbs of a tree.
It sways and it swings and it bends until it makes you see.

Are you ready to jump, get ready to jump.
Don’t ever look back, oh baby.
Yes, I’m ready to jump, get ready to jump.
Just take my hands, get ready to… are you ready?

etc….I can make it alone….

Photo taken by Melissa Summers at www.suburbanbliss.net

Bite the bullet in Brief

The podcasts just keep on coming!  This is another great website called the Broadway Bullet to peruse if you are looking towards the musical theatre genre and, particularly Broadway.  In my efforts to become more educated about this today than I was yesterday, I started perusing the site last week.  Great interviews with people in the industry. 

Friday Fermata – because acting is the new singing

We’ve read it in the recent cover article from Classical Singer magazine in their interview with Natalie Dessay and we’ve seen article after article on it.  We knew it was coming, and we should be glad.  The days of “Park and Bark” are over.  Audiences, as well as people sitting behind the audition table, want us to be skilled actors as well.  I welcomed this as I had been (I thought) acting all along.   I was confidently singing with all of the “instincts” I would need.

What was I thinking?

It only took one day (my first day) in a course at the Walnut Street Theatre to realize that I was not prepared.  At all.  I realized that a pretty voice would take me only so far, and that my “instinct,” while great, was no where near an actual SKILL.  Despite the embarrassment of that first day, I was determined to stay the course and use this experience to make me better.  By the end of the course, I had learned so much.  I learned interesting things about how to study a monologue and tools such as scripting between the lines, information that blew my mind.  I’m not done yet.  There is another acting class I would like to take this coming spring.

As part of my continuing effort to get educated, I stumbled upon a podcast site that I have to tell you about.  I was researching prices for headshots because I am SO DUE for new ones.  I had decided that I was going to go with Kristin Hoebermann, who did Elisa Matthews’s headshots, which are spectacular.   When I went to the site, I saw that Hoebermann Studios was featured in the book, How To Be A Working Actor.  I clicked on the book link and was taken to a podcast hosted by the website, Everything Acting, in which the author of the book was interviewed.

The website housed an archive of podcasts such as this.  Interviews with people in the industry, etc.

On the Everything Acting’s About Page, they state that “Each episode you will hear tips and information from legitimate industry insiders. Casting directors, agents, producers and directors will offer insights on pictures, resumes, auditions, reels, and what happens when you get the job. Get inspiration from real life audition stories; find out who got the part and how they got it!  Join us as we inform, inspire and demystify the actor’s journey.”
During the first podcast, I was grabbing for a pad and pen to start taking notes and had the sheet filled up after listening to a few more of them.  They not only give practical information but give inspirational insights that I didn’t expect.  Insights on how to stay confident, positive and motivated.

The brainchildren behind this website (and who are also your podcast hostesses) are Darbi Worley and/or Rosalyn Coleman whom are both established actresses in New York.

Acting is the new singing.  I need to embrace this and get as educated as I can. This website is a good start!  Thank you Darbi and Rosalyn!

Menu for the singing machine

Trying to make healthy choices at a wedding shower.

Ok, so I just packed all of my food for tomorrow, which marks the kick-off of the Fall/Winter rehearsal season “plan every thing that goes into my mouth” extravaganza.  The only way I was going to get this to work is if I planned out every nibble.  It’s good practice since I only have one rehearsal this week, meaning no consecutive evening rehearsals (which is another challenge to plan for).  Here is my schedule below:

5:30AM – Breakfast (I love breakfast so I really load up)
Coffee
Blueberries
Cheerios
Skim Milk
Fat Free Creamer
Splenda with the Fiber added (because I simply refuse to give up sweetener and creamer, because I’m not a TOTAL robot….yet).

9:30AM – Snack:  Apple

11:00AM – Work out (I run)

12:30PM – Lunch
Curry chicken sandwich (fat free mayo – only a serving - curry, grilled chicken (no skin!), wheat bread
Pita Chips

3:00PM – Snack
1 serving (cup) Vanilla flavored Fit-n-light yogurt
Apple
1 serving of granola

Dinner (about an hour before I leave for rehearsal so around 6:30PM)
Grilled chicken
*Huge, Honkin Salad (no cheese!)
Balsamic Vin.

**Snack (Rehearsal Break) – Usually around 8:30PM – 9:00PM
1 cup (serving) dried Cheerios and a banana

Throughout the day:  Massive amounts of water.  I have a 36 oz. container at my desk and try to drink two of those a day.  Since I do a workout, I should even drink more, if possible.

*As long as you don’t add a fatty dressing (like Ranch) or a lot of a highly caloric, no fat dressing, you can eat as much veggies as you want.  Weight watchers charges zero points for salads.  Great way to fill up.

**I don’t buy the “don’t eat after 8PM” for us singers because we are doing someting physical into the night and we need fuel and we usually aren’t going to bed until almost midnight.  In the past when I haven’t eaten ANYTHING since 5PM and I don’t get home until 11:00PM or later, I’m raiding the fridge at that time.  I hope this will also combat some of that.  As long as the snack is good for me, I don’t think it’s a problem (plus it will fall around 4 hours before bed) 

My goals are:
To get through the day without ever being hungry so to keep an even blood sugar level, etc.
Continue my 15 pound weight loss goal that I started about 2 weeks ago
To sustain this kind of diet through the singing schedule – consistency is a big problem for me, especially when I get tired and busy.

Things that will try my will:
Starbucks
Fatigue
Chocolate
Soda
Booze

Bring it!

Blogroll love for Opera Colorado

I used to sing with Opera Colorado before moving to the East Coast and I’m a member of their Facebook Fan Page so I can keep up with what’s going on with them.  I got a Feed about a new blog post on Opera Colorado’s blogspot called Backstage.   I hadn’t seen this before so I clicked on over!  A lot of performers such as myself, opera companies, musical theatres and organizations are utilizing the technology available to get their messages across.  Blogs, twitter accounts, Facebook Fan pages, and the ever-brilliant idea of live-broadcasting operas in movie theatres, are great tools.  If you are a fan of behind the scenes blogs as much as I am, you should go over and check it out.  I can personally relate to the opening paragraphs of this post where AriaGirl talked about the dichotomy (sadness when a season ends coupled with relief for some time off) that is experienced by most of us (well, I can’t speak for everyone, but it has definately been true for me after a marathon run).  Also, Fashion Night at the Opera?  They didn’t have that going on while I was singing there.  For shame!  Maybe we can adopt something out this way, no?  I also loved this post, which is an interview with a Super, short for Supernumerary, named Ben who was debuting and how his family flew out to see him.  I was immediately transported back to my debut on the Opera Colorado stage in my very first opera, Faust.  My family was also there for me as well.  I remember going into the house early so I could put notes on their seats, telling him how they were seeing my dream of being on the stage come true right before their eyes and how glad I was that they were there.  Ben also talks about the technical difficulties that can occur with the use of guns on stage.  All of us can count on our fingers and toes how many times THAT has happened in our performances.  And don’t forget to check back here for more stories of my own!