Sore Throat, uneventful evenings...

It’s Saturday afternoon and I am feeling beyond crappy. My throat hurts quite a lot, I think I overdid it singing this passed week. I had three performances Monday through Wednesday and while only two of those were solo performances I still feel beyond drained. I am sleepy and at the same time so… irritated with myself. I was surprised to have my grandmother and uncle come to my recital and actually compliment my performance and voice. David even said I reminded him of queen of the night which is a huge compliment coming from him. I aspire to become an incredible performer like Diana Damrau, her passion and connection to her characters really do inspire me.

I could not sing a thing right now even if you asked me to, that is how sore and scratchy my throat is right now. Good thing is I don’t have Juries for another couple of weeks. Tonight I have the oh so exciting plans of watching Lipstick Jungle online.

Happy Singing to all!

Lorey

Jury!!!…..

I have jury coming up next Thursday which is the final for all music majors. You have to perform each piece you’ve been working on in the current semester. I’m so nervous, apparently it’s not really a big deal or so Ms. D says, she’s my voice teacher. I’m still nervous because I have to sing in front of the entire vocal faculty, I’m sure it will be the longest 10 minutes of my life. My Italian piece is coming along better than my English piece, which I find odd. Personally I am not so sure this song is a great song for me but whatever. Love has eyes is in and so is Gail Sole Dal Gange I’m so nervous! I hear it’s worse at other music colleges. I’m just going to walk into that room and sing my heart out, regardless of how scary it is, I have to face and get over my fears now. Like they say; there’s no time like the present.

Sacrifices must be made......

Through the time I've been singing, even before I decided to focus on classical music. I had a lot of problems with my voice, most of them were because I didn't care for my instrument as I should have. I screamed when I went out, drank a lot of caffeine, and talked on the phone for hours on end. Since I've actually been learning how to care for my voice by avoiding caffeine before I practice or perform, Controlling my sneezing and coughing, and well... you get the idea. I've been changing a lot of things in my life, for example when I'm on the phone I make sure the other person speaks more, that I take breaks when they do, and drink a lot of water. It's just common sense.

I've also learned that if I'm going to be the kind of singer I want to be I have to be willing to make sacrifices, one of them would be I no longer have meat, this wasn't a decision I made solely to lose weight, although that is a plus. I decided this because I knew I needed to control myself and my eating habits not to mention that everything I eat affects my instrument, I use my instrument daily whether I like it or not. I am going to lose this weight once and for all, regardless of how hungry I feel. It's only hunger, right?

Sacrifice means giving up something good for something better, and that is the truth.

This is my Motivation

Anna Netrebko

Back to Basics.....

Ever have one of those days when you're just stuck in your own head? Since last night I've been like this. I hate all the noise I have going on right now, I feel overwhelmed by my own thoughts. I hate feeling like that. Today I was determined to practice and did, my voice isn't as bad as I was expecting, It's actually not that bad right now. I stopped practicing a few months back simply because I'd lost all motivation and drive. I was letting my passion go simply because of what a couple of people said. Thankfully I snapped out of it, it would have been such a mistake if I hadn't realized it. Now I'm slowly getting back on track, I will be practicing everyday until my voice is back in shape, I figure it will take a few weeks. I am going to take it slowly to make sure I don't force my voice to do anything it's not yet ready to do. I Don’t want to set myself back even further by losing my voice. Today I only did warm ups and vocal exercises for about 15 minutes. Which granted, isn't close to the hour or two I did before. But I'm solely focusing on warm ups, breathing, music theory, and vocal exercises until my voice is back in shape.

I loved it, feeling the sound fill my body and flow out of my lips. I remembered how good it feels to have music flowing out of you..... There's nothing like it.

Today I've also been doing a lot of research on singer's do's and don'ts, vocal health information, and anything else I can get my hands on. I'm feeling good about the work I'm doing right now, as I said earlier this evening; I'm not where I want to be, yet, but I am closer.

Fat Lady singing vs. Skinny Lady....

Last night I was googling for no good reason and came across this post on Operas.com Regarding the saying "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings." to read the entire entry you'll have to go there yourself. The reason I'm bringing this up is because he brought up something I never thought about. "Is the fat lady better than the skinny one? Does the fat lady have more momentum in her diaphragm? A wider lung capacity? A stronger push to her airflow? Why does the fat lady get all the attention?

Based on technique alone, there doesn't seem to be any advantage in having a wider middle as a singer. Overweight singers are more difficult to train for proper technique, because it is harder to read their body language while they sing. Since singing is a full-body experience, and not just a head-throat-mouth-chest operation, being able to perfect your entire body technique is vital to getting the most from your organ, the voice box.

Even if a person already has a great singing technique, the extra weight can have a detrimental effect on one's singing. Breath management may be poorer so that the sound is wobbly, the breath itself is noisy, the vibrato is irregular and phrases may end weakly.

Of course, some argue that extra fat in the vocal folds and around the midsection can actually add to the pleasing character of the tone and vibrato of the voice. Many teachers may argue that this varies from case to case and that most singers are better off physically and vocally from a healthy body weight.

Opera is not just about singing - there is acting, and drama that play very important parts in adding inflection and character to the storyline. While a larger frame adds its own character to a role, it may not always be the character that the composer is seeking, or the extra weight may inhibit certain activities, like dancing or leaping, that are desired from the storyline. As a result, the larger singer may be limited in the roles that they receive.

However, the fat lady does have a much greater presence overall than the thin one, which can be very valuable on stage. Most theaters have many rows way in the back, making it difficult to see some of the nuances of acting that occur on stage, more or less the actual characters. When the main role is filled by a woman that is easily seen, the patron can relax and enjoy the show instead of squinting to see each act. - Angela Bull"

While I am overweight and there are some things I don't do because I can't, it never made me wonder if I'd sing better if I were thinner. I have heard some things regarding singing and weight over the years but nothing ever really made me really chew on it like this post. I have read about singers who after losing a dramatic amount of weight lost some depth to their voices but I'm not sure if that was just theory or fact. Then I remembered a few years ago reading about Deborah Voigt and her struggles with weight leading her to decide to have gastric bypass surgery. I haven't read anything about whether or not the weight loss affected her voice but I am curious.

What do you all think?

Welcome to Mezzo Life

My name is Laura (aka Lorey, Lo) and I am a 21 year old woman learning about the wonders of the classical music field. I have been studying voice for a couple of years. As you may have figured out from the title of the blog I am a Mezzo-Soprano, or at least this is what the popular opinion seems to be among my passed teachers. While I still have a long ways to go I am enjoying the journey. My practices consist of warm ups and vocal exercises, Not a whole hell of a lot of fun. But in the long run I know it will help me get to the Music I really do want to sing, Opera, Classical, and Musical Theater.

My first vocal Teacher was H. Kanoa Greene she is the one who introduced me to this wonderful world, and I will forever be grateful to her. Unfortunately she moved a while ago ( Miss ya Kanoa!!) But I will always remember what I learned from her.

For now that is all, it's really late and I must get to bed...

Burned toast and Spilled Milk.....

Anyone who's known me longer than 10 minutes knows my main focus in life is Music. I've been singing since I was maybe 3 years old. It's my first love, passion and above all the most functional relationship I've had in my life. However it's been an incredibly hard journeyas I was not as blessed as others for a natural knack for music theory, or abundant funds to pursue voice studies, but I digress.

A couple of months ago I was on the phone with someone who I consider a friend, who has always supported my musical aspirations. More than that he's pushed me, for whatever reason that day he told me "Maybe it's time to give it up." Uhh NO! I've worked too hard, sacrificed way too much, and have gone through great lengths to pay for the instruction. Now I'm finally getting to a point where it's not only going to be easier, but I'll have a well rounded education because it wont be just singing it will be Music Theory, Musicianship, and so much more. I'll be in college and finally able to study what I love. It amazes me how just when things are looking up someone tries to knock you down, because they're feeling insecure, or they've given up on their goal/dream. It's stupid, that’s what it is really.

I'm not going to lie and say "oh well that's his opinion, I think I'll keel over and die now..." No, I'm no longer the type of person that decides to give up and forget about what she really loves, besides Music is the only thing that hasn't broken my heart, and I for one am not about to give up on it.

For any other musician, or artist heck anyone who has a dream out there. Don't let someone knock your dream because theirs didn’t come true. Or they didn't have the balls to chase after their dream. Sometimes people tell you things because they are having a bad day or simply spilled their milk or burned their toasts that morning, In other words. don't let burnt toast and spilled milk ruin your future, or make you give up your dream. Words only have the power you give them, keep that in mind.