Category Archives: Singing

“La Lutte Vocale”: The Battle that really isn’t. Thoughts on Linguistic Ambiguity and Reflexive Antagonism.

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

How many times have you expressed something, only to have it misunderstood? If you’re like most people, your answer is most likely: ‘frequently’! One of the advantages of language is that it’s flexible and multi-dimensional. One of the disadvantages of … Continue reading →

Posted in Anatomie, Archetypes, Breath, Breathing, Coaching, Communication, Fitness, Gesang, Gesangslehrer, Gesangspädagogik, Inner Game, Learning, Lehren, Lehrer, Lessons, Oper, Opera, Pedagogy, Sänger, Seminars, Singing, Stimme, Students, Teachers, Teaching, Vocal Pedagogy, Voice | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

INSTANT KARMA

Posted on May 30, 2016 by

The idea of “Karma” as it was probably originally intended seems foreign to how we live our life. The idea that there is some mechanism by which our deeds come back at us is anathema to many of us, especially … Continue reading →

Posted in Authenticity, Communication, Congruence, Creativity, Ecstatic Living, Emotional Intelligence, Singing, Speaking, Voice | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Caffeinated Calmness

Posted on May 17, 2016 by

You know that feeling of being charged up, ready for action, batteries all at 100%, yet at the same time feeling a profound inner stillness? In younger years, I thought the two states were mutually exclusive. Lately I’ve been experiencing … Continue reading →

Posted in Audition, Authenticity, Coaching, Creativity, Ecstasy, Ecstatic Living, Gesang, Gesangslehrer, Gesangspädagogik, Lessons, Mental Training, Mind-Body, Music, Oper, Opera, Performance, Performance Training, Singing, State, Stillness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oh, it’s a Long, Long While from May to December… Thoughts on Seasonal Filters.

Posted on September 14, 2015 by

The colder days of September are upon us and with them come some apparent changes and some less apparent. Along with a farewell to shorts and t-shirts and the slowly coloring leaves come changes in our mood, metabolism and selective … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Ecstatic Living, Singing, Work/Life Balance | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Singing, Talent and Teaching Voice

Posted on July 26, 2015 by

Are we here to filter for the marketplace or to bring out the best in student singers? This provocative and rhetorical question rings in my ears almost every time I attend a diploma concert. What should be a celebration of … Continue reading →

Posted in Audition, Singing, Teaching | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Wisdom of Ignorance

Posted on June 16, 2015 by

There’s an expression in German; “Besserwisser”. In English we say: „Know it All“. The literal translation of Besserwisser is a Better Knower, or one who just always ‘knows better’. Put that way, it sounds kind of desirable. Remember that sentence … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Coaching, Learning, Singing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Cultivating Ecstasy

Posted on May 19, 2015 by

Have you ever noticed how “un-cool” it is to be overly enthusiastic? There’s something about a shamelessly positive attitude that just seems to annoy a lot of people. Why is that? As someone who’s often ‘over-the-top’ optimistic, I’ve been asking … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecstasy, Positive, Singing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment