A Klink Think

I thought that coming back to school after spring break would be overwhelming, anticlimactic, and just in general, a bummer. I knew that I would lose the "spring break high" and that that would be bad. At first, it kind of felt that way because we all of the sudden had to get back into a routine, but I'm realizing that even though I felt like my excitement kind of faded away, I am still constantly thinking about the concepts I learned on the trip without even realizing it. For example, I've automatically been using some of the warm-ups Susan gave me in my lesson when I practice. I also had some good follow up emails or facebook messages with people we met in New York, even though I didn't necessarily talk to them personally. And I am constantly reminding myself to "keep my blinders on" and to believe in myself. That sounds really cheesy but it is absolutely necessary and true and often hard to do.

People keep asking about how the trip was and I loved telling people about it! (Until after about the 50th time), but then I realized that I am glad that I have to keep retelling the story because it makes me say again the things I learned, reinforcing them into my brain and reflecting deeper each time that I tell someone what I did and learned in New York. Every day I get to practice being confident and proud of what I am working toward. I also have been thinking about how there are so many possiblities and directions to go in a singing career; it doesn't just have to be singing at the Met. If one thing doesn't work out, I can just keep going and/or find another direction to go.

Something Claudia said was that we are singers, so we should be singing! Don't go and do something else if singing is what you do. (She said it much better than what I am paraphrasing). So if you're waiting to be ready for a career in opera, keep singing it or practice singing other genres while you're waiting and learning. Even if you have a regular temp job, find someplace to sing while you're growing because that is what you do! I really like that idea. It kind of goes along with something Susan said in my lesson. I need to be content where I am right now and to use this time to learn all kinds of things. There are so many aspects to a performance career besides the singing technique. I can be using this time to grow in all of the areas and to not get discouraged that I can't sing like Diana Damrau right now. I'm not supposed to be able to sing like her! I need to be patient.

It is still daunting but also exciting to think about the future now that I have all these new ideas to think about. I am looking forward to achieving little goals along the way and to see my progress and how all this new knowledge effects the way I do things, see things, plan things, and think about things from here on out.

-Emily