Voice Lesson #30 ...Festival!

During this weeks lesson, I was trying to fight off a cold..it's been a battle for sure! However, I went to the ENT, today and got loaded down with medication to fend it off..I think I may win! Please God, let me win! I CAN'T be sick!! NO, NO, NO!! So anyway, my lesson was great, as usual. I always leave with a wealth of information. It was a bit of a bummer for me though, because it was my last lesson until sometime after my surgery. I don't know how long I will be unable to sing, but I am assuming at least a few weeks because the abdominal muscles are so greatly involved with classical technique. So, that means no lessons AND no practicing..but I will ask my Doc about it and see what she thinks. In the mean time, my teacher gave me some great speaking exercises to do, while I am recovering. I will most definitely work on that! Now, let me get to Festival. I participated in my first NFMC Festival, last weekend. How can I say this?... I LOVED IT! I was one of two adults, I believe, that participated.. the rest were kids, but it was a great experience for me. I began performing in front of audiences when I was just a kid, and have always been comfortable doing so. The last performance I gave was after the oil Spill, a few years ago, in Grand Isle. It was fun and I really wasn't very nervous, but I also wasn't trying to sing with classical technique, and it was also not in front of a judge, for a rating. It was just my guitar and me, entertaining a crowd. Festival, however, is a whole different ball game, and different type of "performing". Here's how it goes.. as a student of classical voice, I had to learn two pieces. One was a "required" piece from the NFMC festival list, and the other was a chosen piece. Fortunately, I already had two that I knew and had been working on, that I could use. I was sure I would be a nervous wreck as I was going over my pieces, again and again, on my drive in. When I got there, I signed in, saw my teacher, was introduced to my accompanist, and put in a room with a judge. I really had no time to worry too much, and though I was nervous, I was not as nervous as I thought I would be. I kept thinking that if I could sing as well there, as I do at my lessons, I'd be happy with that. Well, I think they came out a tad better..certainly not great, but I was pleased. I think a big part of it was because I knew I only had one shot..blowing it completely was not an option. The most difficult part though, was "selling" the songs...performing them and not just singing them. As my teacher has told me, the judge is there to see me perform, not watch me worry about the technical. I had to be the characters for the time it took to sing these two pieces. That was not easy because my brain wants to concentrate on the technical, and my teacher knows I have this issue. She kept reminding me, "whatever you do, sell them!" I needed to hear that over and over! So, I went in, not having practiced with my accompanist and it went really, very smoothly. She followed everything I did. My teacher said she was great and she is. So, all in all, I was pleased with my performance, and my teacher seemed happy with it, too, which is very important to me. I did the best I could do, at the time. I won't know what type of rating I got until later in the week, but I am not expecting much. I am however, looking forward to any criticism she gave me. I want so much to improve! I was extremely motivated before festival to work hard, to be the best classical singer I can be, but now, I am over the top motivated. I loved doing this type of performance, regardless of how it came out...I can't wait to do more. I can't even really explain it, but it was so different than anything I have ever been used to, and there is something about the classical essence of it that I am drawn to. Maybe it's all that opera that my parents made me listen to as a kid, that is finally coming to the surface, who knows. What I do know is that I love learning classical technique, practicing, learning what it means to perform in a classical sense, the people that I have been able to meet, I love the whole environment that I am being exposed to. It takes me back to when I was kid, in the 70's, and I played a "choir boy" in the opera, Tosca. There was something, even then, about the people I met and the rehearsals, and just the general atmosphere that I loved and felt drawn to. I remember meeting for the first time, Roberta Palmer, who played Tosca.. I was mesmerized. I believe it was a dress rehearsal, when I first met her. I went to her dressing room and she was so nice. She gave me an autograph and I was in awe. I remember she was wearing one of her costumes at the time and she was larger then life, to me. I'm really not sure what drew me away from that and into bands, and that type of musical environment. Though I loved my band days, and have great memories of them, and am still friends with a lot of the people I played with, there was always something about the classical that I guess was buried inside somewhere. Whatever happened, I am thankful that God has pulled it to the surface and put a fire in me for this! He has put me on this path for a reason and I am loving the journey, the people, the experience! I have such a long way to go and so much to learn, but boy, am I enjoying it! I am so thankful to have God, my amazing husband, and my brilliant teacher, on this road with me! Thank you, Jesus, for letting me do something so awesome!

Voice Lesson #29

Today we went over everything concerning festival, which is coming up this weekend. We went over my pieces, times, what to expect, what to do, etc... I think this is going to be a great experience for me, regardless of how well I do, or not. I know the nerves are going to kick in, in major fashion, so that won't be a surprise. I just hope I can sing as well there, in front of a judge , as I do at my lessons (which is not great). If I can do that, I'll be happy. But regardless, even if I completely fail, just making it through will be a huge accomplishment for me. And there is always next year, to try and do better. My teacher is a great support and I am so thankful for her. She has taught me so much that I otherwise would not have learned. Granted, I still have a very long way to go, but I have begun the journey and intend to continue on. Festival is sort of like my first big hurdle, and once I make it over this one, I can move on to the next hurdle. I am nervous, yes, but excited, too! I'm sure this doesn't seem like a big deal to most, but to me, it's huge! My husband has also been a great support to me. He's been cheering me on from the get go. I will do my best and see what happens. I am prepared for whatever criticism they give me, and I will use it to improve in the future. Thank you, Lord for this awesome opportunity, and all the terrific people you've put in my path! I am so grateful!