Serenity

Don’t assume things can be swiftly changed just because it seems obvious that they ought to be. But also don’t assume that things can’t be changed, just because the prospect feels overwhelming.

Empathy

“Empathy” is a word that has lately been receiving rather casual treatment, like we’re all in agreement about what it means… but perhaps we aren’t.

Bondage

Artists are, by and large, progressives. We believe in equal rights for women, civil rights for LGBTQ individuals, and fair representation on our stages. Saudi Arabia’s rulers do not, and Metropolitan Opera artists should not be compelled to perform for them.

Resistance, Part 3: Change

My generation bore witness to extraordinary social progress. It is traumatizing to now see those with status, power, and money leveraging their resources to vigorously and viciously reverse that extraordinary social progress.

Resistance, Part 2: Flow

Free, expressive singing requires both skill and focused, uncomplicated conviction. I would argue that the conviction part is more significant than than the skill part.

Resistance, Part 1: Gravity

Resistance training is a dance with gravity. Practiced mindfully, it can enhance the quality, power, range, and expressive potential of all our movements.

Complicity

If you are unaware that something horrific is being done to you, you cannot defend yourself. You cannot advocate for yourself, or advocate for change. Your only option is to numb yourself against the misery while weaving stories about how everything happens for a reason.

Fitness

It’s one thing to know about anatomy in the abstract, but quite another to apply that knowledge to the training of someone else’s anatomy, given that each of our bodies is unique.

Capacity

Imposing learning on students does not lead to strong retention and integration of whatever it is you want them to know or get good at. It also does not foster a love of learning—quite the contrary.

Value

Grades reduce learning to a common denominator and rank students against one another, creating a situation where external validation by a teacher and comparative success over their peers become more important than actual learning.

Talent

When someone seems to have a naturally beautiful voice, all that means is that they intuited how to move their articulators in a way that provides for more expansive, consistent resonance. It absolutely does not mean that what they intuited cannot be developed—it can.

Dexterity

When you want to improve a particular type of coordination, remember that you’re not bringing a blank slate to the process. At least some of the coordination you have already habituated is likely to be at cross purposes with the new coordination you wish to develop.

Range

Singing is a process of musical expression that is facilitated by internal physical movements. As a voice teacher, part of my job is to help singers condition their vocal anatomy, which includes improving range of motion, continuity of movement, and continuity of sensation.

embodied voice training

Catharsis

Singing is a fully embodied musical experience. In retrospect, my difficulty learning to sing came from an inability to feel a functional connection between different parts of my body.

vocal tension release

Smash

There is tension, and then there’s Tension, with a capital “T”. The creative tension I experience preparing to write a blog post is one thing. The kind of Tension that you urgently need to get rid of because it’s messing up not just your singing but also your life, is something else.

singing

Breath

Breath management feels mysterious because breath management is a deeply personal thing. In the same sense that your relationship with the Divine is a deeply personal thing.

interoception

Feelings

Skill at interoception is not all that difficult to develop or teach—it’s just often counterintuitive, within a culture that is intensely fixated on outcomes and external validation. 

Support

A supportive teaching practice requires strong communication and an atmosphere that feels safe and affirming to the student.

Spirals

Spirals go in both directions. Strap in, and don’t forget to use your turn signal.

Cookies

What could possibly be more important than the quality of your own moment-to-moment experience? The cookies you bake are one thing—the quality of experience you had while baking them is another.

Emerging from the Dark Aether

Hello, my friends! I’m happily still among you, and I am grateful to finally feel ready to share some updates and other thoughts.   I remain pretty astonished by the condition in which I now find myself. Back in December, I had plenty of ideas and ambitions about what I

What Did You Learn In School Today?

Singers, what did you learn in your most recent voice lesson? Teachers, what have you successfully imparted to your students so far this week?  I’m inviting you to reflect on these questions because the greater our clarity about what is successfully imparted and actually learned, the more valuable the

Why You Hate Exercise

This blog post is dedicated to all of you who think you should be exercising more than you do. Or believe you should be enjoying it more than you do, or wish you were getting better results. All of you are officially off the hook. I’ve been a certified

What Do You Need from Your Voice Teacher?

Some years ago I became aware that within our vast and varied constellation of voice teachers, I was regarded as a technique specialist.   When I asked a prospective student why they were interested in working with me, they often replied with something like, “I‘ve heard you're great