New Year's Resolutions

With the New Year just around the corner, many people (including myself) go over their past year and figure out how they want to make this year better, hence, the New Year's Resolutions. There are many of them that we make. Sometimes we keep them, sometimes we don't. The good thing is that we always keep trying to be better. That's what it all boils down to: becoming better. Whether it's to get back in shape, get better grades, be a better parent, a better friend, etc., it's us trying to be better.

That is why I love teaching private lessons. I meet people who are wanting to do the work to become better at singing or any other instrument and I am honored to be a part of that process.

There is a fine line, however, between wanting to be like someone who seems better and trying to be a better self without comparison. I always run into the potential students who want to belike a certain famous singer, not realizing that that particular singer doesn't know a C# key from an A minor chord. I'm fortunate enough to get to work with the famous people seen on television and heard on the radio--fortunate enough to know it's not real but a lot of fancy work done by the engineers, producers and song writers.

So I strongly stick with making yourself better because no one else has your voice, so it's up to you to find it and keep it strong for the rest of your life. That is how I teach and I LOVE it! I love to hear this one-and-only voice come shine through in a healthy, correct way--so healthy and correct, that the singer will be able to sing with that amount of gusto like Pavarotti.

So I am writing today, excited to embark on my own New year's Resolutions as a musician and even more excited to help my students do the same.

Timpanogos Academy

Last week, I spent the afternoon with another group of fun children from a another school, located in Lindon, Utah. The student body of Timpanogos Academy is a special one. Talking with them was a treat as they told me what they each loved to do and why they loved music. I love watching their eyes beam with excitement as they tell me what makes them unique. They tell me what they love to do in their spare time and why they do it, along with what it really means to them. When we get to music, it's the same thing and that is where we all join in and have something in common.

I played Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, sang O mio babbino caro and played a few pieces on the piano for them. I'm happy to say that they loved it and I loved performing for them. They are a cute bunch of good kids. I can't wait to see the next school I work in. I hope that are just as great because we need good children like that.

Thank you, Rob Swenson and Students of Timpanogos Academy!

A Different Language

When a friend of mine tells me that they are taking music lessons, I say to them, "How exciting! Do you realize that you are learning a language that not many people speak anymore?" Than they just laugh and tell me that it's not a language. How little they know...

The more I study music in instrumentation, theory, coloring, interpretation, etc., I have come to realize that it is a language that many don't truly understand. With that being said, I know that this is one of the hardest languages to learn because it is the only language and that incorporates all forms of learning--there is no way to completely learn music without all seven:

1. Logical/Mathematical

2. Linguistic

3. Spatial

4. Musical

5. Kinesthetic

6. Interpersonal (recognizing others)

7. Intrapersonal (recognizing self)

It is a beautiful language and there is nothing like it. It's unending and is added upon by creative musicians everyday. I love these students of mine who take the brave step to learn and create more of this language. It's universal from every living organism all over the world. Even studies have shown how music effects nature and animals (humans included, obviously).

For those of you who have always wanted to speak this language, please take that step to learn! We need more musicians in this world and it can quite simple to learn. As Johann Sebastian Bach said, “It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”

Thank You For Reading

Today's Event at Dixon

I went to perform and speak with the kids of Dixon Middle School in Provo, UT. I got to speak with the students in the orchestra, the band, the choir and the guitar class. I admit that I was nervous and made silly mistakes that I never make but, HEY! lesson learned, eh. However, I had so much fun. Even the kids who weren't paying attention were cracking me up.I played some pieces from Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Fresh Aire, Disney and Carl Maria Von Weber. I honestly was honored to be able to play clarinet, piano and sing for these kids. Just like Louise Armstrong sang in What a Wonderful World, "They'll learn much more than I'll never know." One of the questions I asked was, "How often to play music per day?" Outside of class, these kids play so much--I was so happy to hear it. Then one boy said, "I play any chance I get." Oh, I loved that answer. He knew what he loved--playing music--so he played it any chance he got. I do the same and I know many of the kids in that class do as well. I wish them the best and would like to thank the faculty and students for letting me play music for them. Thanks, Dixon Panthers!

A New Goal For This School Year

Don't you love the fresh feeling that beginning school brings? New back-pack, pencils and pens; fresh paper and seeing your friends again with fun summer stories to share. I love all of that, too. And I always start the new school year with personal goals of how I will make this school year. It usually goes something like this:I will have straight A's

• I will not be late nor ever miss a class
• All my homework will be turned in on time
• I will study each subject everyday for, at least, an hour
• I will be more social and kinder to everyone, making more friends
• I will wake up at 6:00am every morning, no matter what

Yeah... easier said than done, right. I do admit that there were some semesters that I came pretty close to achieving all those goals but, gee, that was a super hard semester!

I've been thinking about this because the students that I have are 'school-aholics.' They are so involved with art, drama, sports, etc., that I doubt they can ever enjoy a homemade dinner. But it's fun to watch them go! Once school starts, they're like a wind-up toy and keep going and going and going... And, with all that they have to work with in school, they still make time to sing for a half hour every week. I look up to them for that.

So I have another goal to make this school year: To be like those students and take time out of my busy schedule to enjoy something that I like (outside of school, the text books and studying), even if it's a half hour per week. Thanks for the examples you set for me, all you students o' mine.

Thank You for Teenagers

There is something so rewarding as a private teacher that many people will never experience and is this: Meeting a child for the first time, getting to know them and creating a great friendship with them along the way. One of the differences in private teaching is that I only meet people who have a great goal to achieve and they are asking me to help them achieve it. What an honor that is for me! Especially in this day in age...

There are so many things that a child goes through--much more that I did when I was growing up. Being a counselor in Los Angeles high schools and being an after-school tutor at local high schools has helped me see that. These kids are facing a tougher world and I love them for it. They work so hard and I see a difference when teaching them. With that being said, I wanted to say "Thank You" to those teenagers and kids out there who are sticking to their morals and standards and everything that they know to be right. Whether they are in track, football, a chess club or music, they are active in what they love and being as great as they can in it. In today's world, that hard work and focus is so admirable and I am grateful to be a part of their lives. Thank you.

Everyone Has a Voice to Sing

One of my greatest pet-peeves is when someone says, "I wish I could sing," or "I'd like to sing but I just can't." It's ironic because they are actually singing those words to me! It may not be evident to them but, as a vocal teacher, I see them use the same muscles, I hear them use inflection, good enunciation, expression and the right amount of air to say such an untrue thing. Each person who says that sounds beautiful to me--they already have shown me their comfortable range, their clarity and the volume they can project in those few syllables. If you ask me, anyone who says they cannot sing has already proven to me how wrong they are.

Many people wouldn't believe me because I have often been told that I don't know what it's like because singing 'comes so easy' for me. When that is said, I have to silently laugh because that, also, cannot be further from the truth. I know where they're coming from but, if they only knew what I sounded like at my best fourteen years ago, they would take that statement back.

I grew up in a musical family. My dad played several instruments and sang anything he wanted because he had that kind of a range; my mother was the silent musician of the family, teaching us how to play the piano and encouraging us to practice our music everyday. All seven children took piano lessons and played a second instrument and we all could sing... except me. I felt like the black sheep of this huge, musical family. I tried playing the violin but everyone told me my playing sounded like I was killing a cat; I tried singing but I could never hear the pitches and was considered tone-deaf. So I resorted to playing the piano and clarinet--they were painless enough.

I excelled and became professional in both instruments but there was always something I struggled with: pitch. I couldn't hear it. So, when I would try to play the violin or sing, I sounded terrible. In choirs, teachers and friends would ask me to not sing so loudly because I would mess up the rest of the singers. I was even asked not to sing at times (something I think is always unacceptable to anyone). Each time I tried to sing in public, it ended in embarrassment and, sometimes, tears on my part. I remember trying to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" with my sisters one Fourth of July. My sisters stopped mid-song from laughing at how poorly I was singing. I couldn't even sing that. One time, my sister played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the piano and asked me if I could sing it. I couldn't. I couldn't hear the pitches. I just wasn't made to sing, so I thought.

Through all of this, I was taking private voice lessons that I paid for as a teen just because I liked to sing. Three years into it, my teacher said, "Okay, let's try this again..." My teacher struck one of the keys and asked me to match the pitch, just as she did every week. It was G above Middle C. After a bit of wavering, I found the note... and I sang it! I remember our tears of excitement--I sang the correct note!

Even though I was declared tone-deaf, I figured out how to 'hear' the pitch through the vibrations in my face. I couldn't hear it through my ears but I figured out how to feel it. That was the first day (when I was 17 years old) I sang on pitch!

Ever since, I have never stopped singing or taking lessons. It was important to me to bring that beautiful, hidden voice out. I knew I had a beautiful voice and I wanted people to hear. I wanted to hear it! I wanted to know what I could do. Year after year, I got better. I was nothing to brag about--I was still known as the girl who always sang off-pitch. I never got accepted into any choirs or singing groups. When asked to perform a musical number, it was piano or clarinet. I majored in dance because I knew I could graduate in that successfully and that pitch would always keep me from graduating in music. I still sang and I still tried but I was never really any good.

Then I messed up my hip from pointe (BYU ballet). I could no longer dance in college or professionally. What was I to do?! My other passion was, of course, music. But I didn't want to major in Clarinet or Piano Performance. I decided, no matter how hard it would be, I would sing. I had, about, ten years of voice lessons under my belt but, considering how I sounded, it didn't seem like much. So I started over with school and I was a beginning singer at 24 years old.

The past four years have included a lot of ear training, muscle strengthening, music therapy, tears, embarrassments, sacrifices and other hardships. But, GUESS WHAT! I sing on pitch now! I can hear it and sing it! Fourteen years of music lessons and I am so grateful I refused to listen to people who told me I wasn't a singer or that tone-deafness would keep me from progressing. Instead, I held on to what I loved and what I wanted to become and worked at it.

So, please:

Don't tell you can't sing because I wont believe you;

Don't tell me that music is easy for me because it never was and

Don't expect your talent to be found and developed easily because it wont.

Instead:

Tell me that you have a beautiful voice that you will sing it out;

Tell me that you can do and why you believe it and

Tell me how you've progressed and what you want to become.

Then I will tell you:

How to make that beautiful voice come out;

Why you can do it and I believe and

How excited I am to see what you become.

For any of you who have taken lessons from me, you know that the word "can't" is not allowed nor do I allow my students to say negative things of their own voice and work. Please keep telling yourself how great you are. It's not conceited--it's realistic. Thank you for reading. :)

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.