Learn, Remember & Sing!

The most recent 'Tip of the Day" is 'Learn History & Be Grateful.' It's such a short explanation underneath, that I decided to delve into this a bit. As a performer, student and teacher, I know that attitude makes a world of difference. With a determined, positive attitude, always looking for the next great opportunities and acting upon them make life so much more fun and fulfilled. I also believe that having gratitude makes a wonderful difference as well.

Has your grandmother ever told you of her days as a child, teenager or her early years of marriage, etc.? It's probably to teach you gratitude because, in every case, you've got it so much easier than she ever did.

I love history for that reason. To study these people who came hundreds of years before I did and realizing that, without them, I would not be living in this fine country, or I wouldn't have freedom, or these nice clothes, a nice job & home or have the luxury of going to school, etc. There are so many things that our progenitors have done for us, including giving us the arts as we know them now.

We can practice any type of skill we desire, including music and we can choose to go anywhere with it. How lucky we are that we can afford such a luxury! Thomas Jefferson once said (in better words than I currently recall), "We learn warfare so our children can learn the sciences and that their children can learn the arts." So learn of these great artists and fighters who came before you. The music you study, practice and perform were created by them. So thank them by learning, working and doing your best.

I would like to leave you with a quote from on of my heroes--another artist of many things. He, too, had a passion for life, for freedom, for the arts and being your best with a great attitude and I echo these simple, but inspiring words: "Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music" (Ronald Reagan).

From Them, To Me, To You

Here are a few quotes that I get inspiration from that I would like to pass along to you:

"Music is the shorthand of emotion." - Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

"Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart." - Shinichi Suzuki

"I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music." - Albert Einstein

"You always feel better when you sing. Music touches people's hearts. You know, it doesn't go through your mental capacity, it just moves you and it will let you cry. It's worth it doing a show and when you touch a crowd and move yourself at the same time. You change lives and you change the world." - Jewel Kilcher

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It's Supposed To Be Hard

There is an inspiring movie I love titled A League of Their Own. My most favorite scene is when Tom Hank's character, Jimmy Dugan, lectures Geena Davis' character, Dottie, on the greatness of baseball. Dottie is leaving the team to go home and Jimmy is frustrated with how easily she let it go. In her defense, Dottie says, "It just got too hard" then Jimmy replies, "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."

Isn't that the case with everything wonderful? I believe so. Especially with music. Sometimes it feels like you've been working so hard for so long and nothing has happened--you've seen no progress, no income and it can often be a thankless job where no one understands your potential. And I am sure that there are times when you want to do what Dottie did and pack up and go home, telling yourself that 'it just got too hard.' But don't do it! All the hard work, the creativity, the blood, sweat and tears will pay off one day.

I believe that music is something that is beyond ourselves and is much harder to master than anything else in this world. Don't worry--I'm not going to go into this big shpill about how music is divine and universal in all forms (look up the great musicians in history and they will tell you that). But I will say it is one of the hardest things. Yes, it is more difficult than baseball (Dugan, I'm sorry if you read that) but it is definitely worth it and only the best make it through.

If You Never Give Up, You Cannot Fail

As I teach and work in the community as a musician, I have come across many great people who have quickly become my friends. After a certain conversation yesterday, I realized that there are realities in life that must be faced, especially as one gets older and is living on their own. Bills need to be paid, jobs need to be kept, along with many other responsibilities. Oftentimes the high school musician will become the waitress, the salesman or go to school in a completely different field after graduation. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but there is another reality to be faced as life gets more demanding: you should never give up on your music.

I say this due to the fact that so many people have expressed their regret with letting go of their musical skills. They got married, they started school, they got a demanding job, they started having kids, etc. After all that, they have told me that they wished they set aside time to keep up with their art. I have never known it to be beneficial to let go of a hard-earned skill, especially with the arts.

So I for those parents, full-time employees and students who once played an instrument, danced or were skilled in any art: I dare you to start it up again. It may be hard and seem silly at first. You may have to start from the beginning again and learn the keys, the techniques, etc. But it is worth it.

For those of you who are still practicing the arts, I challenge you to never let it go and grow in it, no matter what life throws at you. It will prove to be a priceless skill later on in life. Whether it is to teach your children, to be a stress-reliever, be a skill that brings you financial comfort or to just give you something to do in your spare time.

And for those who never thought they weren't any good or gifted in the art, I dare you to keep going and not care about that but love to do what you love, even if you don't think you're very good--you'll become great over time, even if much later. It will happen, I promise. Just remember this: If you never give up, you cannot fail.

The Timeless Versus The Trend

I teach Gospel, Pop, Broadway and Opera styles of singing and I used to teach different techniques, depending on what the student wanted. Nowadays, I only teach Bel Canto. After all my study and experience, I like to stick with what is so good that it remains unchanged because it has proved something of itself...

There is a difference between the timeless and the trendy. Although, the trendy can be bigger than the timeless for the moment, it wont last and fades into a new trend. But the timeless beauty remains and is the default to the failed or fading. The fact that Bel Canto has been the same since the days of Bach, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, and is a healthy and strong technique, I teach this.

It is like ballet. Hip-Hop, Modern and Jazz will change over time but the basics of ballet are the techniques that get you through every art of dance and movement. As a dancer, I know this from experience, as well.

If you listen to the greatest artists who were able to keep their art strong their entire, long lives (Deanna Durbin, Pavarotti, Marion Anderson, etc.), you will see someone who is truly experienced and educated in a perfect, timeless and true art. They can change from one genre to the other (Heather Headley is a great example) without hurting themselves or commercializing their voice.

I know the big names nowadays are Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, etc.--they're music is great and fun to listen to--I listen to them on the radio all the time. So I teach those different genres but I refuse to lower the expectations of a student by not teaching healthy, correct singing. True, it is harder work but it lasts for the rest of life when done correctly.

That is my definition of a timeless art--something that is so good, so perfect that, no matter what the trends bring, it will never be changed.

I guess this could be used in any field--what proves constant through history, changes, trials, discoveries and trends? Whatever that is, that is best.

Stage Fright: A Detriment or an Advantage?

I have been performing since I was a little girl. Whether it was dancing or gymnastics in front of other five-year old children, playing the clarinet in a Southern California soloist competition, playing the piano or organ for a church congregation or singing in aria in a crowded Abravanel Hall, I have had to work through the same issue: stage fright. For many of us, we can master it or get used to it so that it is no longer there. For the rest of us, stage fright never leaves. It can cause us to shake, cry, sweat, blank out and even forget how to breathe. How can this be beneficial when performing?

A good friend of mine, Michael Ballam, once told me that all of us have 'butterflies in our stomachs' and, for most of us, those butterflies never go away. So it's up to us to learn how to get those 'butterflies' to fly in unison and for our good. What a concept--embrace that stage fright instead of fighting it!

So don't look at stage fright as a detriment but as an advantage. Lucky for us, we can take every emotion and throw it into our music--just like dance, art or any other instrument. That's what makes a normal piece of art a masterpiece. So act on the adrenaline and push it towards finishing your piece instead of tripping over it! Only you can bridle the butterflies so take what you have and fly!

Letter From a Mother

This letter is from a mother who I worked with when living and teaching in Los Angeles. When I asked how she felt about music and her children being taught in that field, she wrote:

"Music lightens my heart and stirs my soul. Music can bring tears to my eyes and bring concepts to my understanding that a lecture could not do. Music can make me want to dance. Music can make work fun. Music can unite families and even peoples. Music can also make me feel sad and depressed and many other bad feelings, but I choose not to listen to music that elicits those feelings. Music can brighten my day, give me hope and make my heart sing.

"Music can unite families. Music can make working as a family fun. Music can help parents teach children what "The Spirit" feels like. Children are very impressionable, especially to the feelings music can illicit. You can use music to teach things, ABC's, names of presidents, etc. You can teach children about feelings using different kinds of music. I guess I could go on and on, but I will just say, music can teach many things. It can change the feeling in your home. Music is very powerful, for good or for bad."

I thank these mothers for their support and enthusiasm in rearing their children in an uplifting environment. They are truly the teachers and are the ones who make the difference in the world, even in the world of music. Thank you!

A Born 'Musician'

"I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent."

- Luciano Pavarotti

Many of the well-known artists, like Luciano Pavarotti, started music at a very early age. Music is one of the first things a child can comprehend. Even before the baby is born, the mother is asked to listen to good music because the unborn baby can hear and is already learning. That is debatable but the fact that a child can understand music is not.

If you have a piano in your home, have you ever seen your baby crawl onto the piano bench, stand on it and start banging on the keys? Yes, it's loud and can get annoying but the baby's brain is at work, already experimenting with the discovery of music.

Let's go even further back before being able to crawl onto a piano bench... Do you remember when your baby would take any two things and bang them together, get excited and try to make it louder (toys, pots and pans, your shoes). The baby isn't thinking, "This discovery of sound vibrations is intriguing!" but the baby is loving what it he/she is creating.

It's music! Cultivate that born musicianship in your child. If you need to put in ear plugs because it's so loud, go ahead; or make a homemade instrument that's a little quieter; or even sing along to help out. The baby is learning and is starting a beautifully-spent life. He/she may not be a prodigy or even ever take music seriously, but it can still be there from the very beginning to the end.

Please bear in mind that there is no such thing as being 'too young' to learn, especially learning (through) music. As we allow our children to explore this subject, we will see more of how amazing their little minds and imaginations are as will they. Thank you for reading!

If you read my most recent Discussion on my Facebook page, you may notice what has been on mind recently. I really have no idea where I would be, what I would be doing or what kind of person I would be without music. When times are trying, I find myself letting go of my worries, sorrows, stress and confusions through the piano, singing, playing the clarinet or dancing. It is so therapeutic and the best part of this is it’s universal—everyone has been there.

It’s true that music speaks to each one of us in different ways but it does speak to us. It’s another language that we all speak fluently, whether we realize it or not, because it is a part of us. I’ve never met someone who couldn’t express themselves musically, nor have I met someone who has never learned something from it. Singing the alphabet in kindergarten, singing religious principles in church, listening to the radio, watching television or just sitting in silence, you can hear it, see it or feel it. ‘Music expresses that which can not be said and on which it is impossible to be silent’ (Victory Hugo). If we breathe, we are musicians because we have emotions, thoughts and senses.

I guess what I am saying is that music has the power to change lives—whether to worsen or better the life of the participant. Luciano Pavarotti once said ‘a life in music is a life beautifully spent.’ I would like to add that a life in music is fun, educational and excited—there is nothing like it. Music has bettered my life and thank you for being a part of it.