Monday, January 6, 2014
What Do Your Want From Me!
Today, we had the pleasure of having a masterclass with Claudia Catania. She was such an amazing teacher and I feel very privileged to have gotten the opportunity to sing for her. I was extremely nervous to sing today because, due to my own insecurities with my voice and knowing that I was one of three non-performance majors singing, I did not want to A. be thought of as lesser quality B. be treated with kid gloves or C. sound poor in comparison. Overall, I had nothing to worry about because Ms. Catania was so nice and gave me such great advice that I know what I did well and what I need to continue to work on.
What was the most eye opening for me however, was actually my reaction to a question Ms. Catania asked all of us before our session, "What do you want from me?" My initial response when I answered was about how I wanted to be the best music teacher I could and possibly have a studio one day and be a musicologist. First of all, I did not specifically answer her question. Basically, while using a bunch of words, I told her as much about what I wanted her to specifically help me with than just saying nothing at all. Upon further reflection, I realized that in relation to my personal and professional goals I had/have absolutely no idea because I want so much! Generally, I pride myself on knowing what I want and having some semblance of a plan on how to approach and achieve that plan. After thinking about that question I realized that I ultimately could not successfully answer it because I did not know for myself. I might have some ideas of what I might want to do based on what interests me, but I really just do not know. I know that I do not need to have all of the answers for myself right now. I might want them, but knowing everything is just unrealistic. The masterclass definitely gave me a lot to think about in regards of what I want on a small scale rather than in the big picture.
Later in the day, one of our program advisers asked us about how we have been achieving our personal and professional goals and the same thing happened, I did not know. Although I understood that haven't been really successful at projecting an air of confidence and becoming externally demonstrative (a personal objective/goal I had created for myself on this trip) I do know how I work and act in a New York City environment, and I do at least feel confident, as of now, that I would be successful in navigating the culture and lifestyle of this city. I now challenge myself to bring that confidence to my performing and teaching. So, maybe I haven't achieved my goal yet, but that it here the thing to focus upon, yet. It is okay to be a work in progress. We all are. I need to accept that I cannot control everything.
Although I did not know when I woke up this morning that I would be pondering my inner psyche, I am glad that this trip has forced me to realize these things about myself. Personally, I think that the best thing about not being perfect, is by recognizing your own faults, you give yourself an great way to improve to create the best version of yourself!
Cory
Yoga time in NYC
The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind! On Saturday morning we had our Yoga Voice event with Mark Moliterno. We had a lot of first time yogis there so that in itself was super exciting. He gave us a bit of yoga 101 and gave us a great explanation of the chakras of the body. These are points of the body that energy. We worked on helping to foster this energy through poses and how this connects to our voice. I learned that our own voices have healing qualities to our own bodies! I was able to sing and he worked with me on my piece. I sang part of the aria in goddess pose with him. There was an instant change in my voice when I opened my hips and sank in to my body! Luke and I saw The Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway that night. It was absolutely hilarious, a must see for sure. The character actor played 8 different characters. Yesterday I was able to go to a yoga class with my absolute yoga hero, Tara Stiles. My heart was so happy afterwards that I was able to practice in the studio that she started and with her. Cory came with me and she had never been to yoga before. I'll be catching up more tomorrow!
Lauren
Lauren
I want to be here forever!
I have had so many busy and full days this week, but I am so thankful and it has been so rewarding. After working with Claudia today, it has given me a new perspective on how to look at singing, and look at the way everything works in your body. Also, I have also learned on this trip that you must work on your whole package in order to be the best thing you can be. I cannot wait to go back to Eau Claire and work on my craft more. The other thing I have enjoyed the most about the trip so far is learning and listening. I love being able to get to go to the shows, and see people doing what they love everyday. It is so inspirational, and to get to talk with them about what their life is like also gives me a lot of insight on how my life is probably going to be when I am a performer. Even though the time flies here, I can't wait for the next two days here, and I cannot wait to get the most out of them as I can!
Jessica
...Traveling around NYC is starting to make sense!
After five days of traveling on New York's subway system, I'm starting to feel confident in my ability to successfully get around this city! My biggest fear about going to NYC was figuring out the subways and not getting lost. After keeping my eyes open while traveling and studying the subway maps, transportation is much less stressful, and actually a lot of fun! Getting on and off subway trains and figuring out exactly how to get from point A to point B reminds me of the video games that I used to play as a child. I always knew the goal of the specific level in the game, and I had to figure out how to accomplish it, which usually entailed figuring out how to get from one area in the game to another. Riding the subway is just like playing a video game - challenging, but can be A LOT of fun! As long as you stay calm, you can figure out how to get where you need to go in the city. Through this learning experience, I've taken wrong trains and have gotten off at wrong stops, but all of these mistakes are helping me learn, which very rewarding.
More adventures soon!
Jonathan
More adventures soon!
Jonathan
Sunday, January 5, 2014
NYC Days 3 and 4
We have been so busy here in NYC! Yesterday we began the day with yoga for the voice. I got to sing for the teacher and he helped me realize where I was holding tension, and release it through a yoga pose. It was amazing how much it helped and made me realize how connected everything is, as the tension was in my hips. After that we met with Abigail Wright. She talked to us about her experiences as a singer and gave me some good ideas about the business. After that we went to times square and got tickets to Broadway shows. I went to "Once". It was a very moving story and the performance was very well done. Today we began the day by trying to go to a church service. Unfortunately, when we showed up they told us that because we are tourists we have to pay $20 to come in. This was a big lesson in diversity and culture for us as we were not expecting that to happen. Luckily, St. Patrick's Cathedral had a 9:00 AM service, and we were able to get there on time. The church was beautiful. After that I had a coaching with David Sytkowski. He helped me with things such as phrasing and tempo, collaboration with the accompanist, diction, and keeping notes connected and moving forward. Next, we had open coachings with David where he coached four of the students. It was very cool to see how the diction and character work affected the performance so much. He then surprised us with bringing in Michael Fabiano for a question and answer! This was very exciting to us as he is playing the role of Alfred at the MET currently, and we will be seeing him perform! It was very inspiring to hear him speak honestly about his experiences, and what things worked and what didn't. He really emphasized working hard, not being afraid to try things, put yourself out there, and not giving up. One thing that really struck me was his reason for performing. He said he does it to give and share his gift to the audience, which in turn also helps him not be nervous. It was a very inspiring meeting. After that we went to the Public Theatre to see the musical "Fun Home". The musical was very moving, and the acting was fantastic. I really enjoyed the performance. I'm learning so much here, and I'm looking forward to tomorrows adventures!
Kelly
Fears, cheers, and tears...
Fears:
Today was in a word: amazing. To begin my blog for today, I am becoming increasingly nervous about our masterclass with Claudia Catania. Although voice is my primary instrument, I have my own reservations about my technique. I am extremely honored to have been selected to participate in this immersion trip, but I do get nervous because the majority of our cohort are performance majors. Despite these fears and my own insecurities, I am excited to hear from another voice teacher about my singing and vocal technique. On an even more selfish note, I am singing the piece I will sing for the masterclass in my senior recital, which will act as my final vocal representation at UWEC. In this sense, I am thrilled to receive as much help as possible to be able to enhance my technique and improve my piece.
Cheers:
Four students also had the pleasure of participating in a vocal coaching with David Sytkowski. This experience, although I did not sing, was amazing! David was such an extremely talented man who I really admired how he encouraged performance practice and textual expression to portray the pieces more effectively and even correct issue with tone. I particularly enjoyed listening to him, because I am considering a possible graduate school degree in musicology, he used a lot of performance history to support his interpretations which I thought was really impressive. It was also impressive how expansive his repertoire bank is and how, on the drop of a hat, he can reference so many lieder, arias, ect. It was also very exciting to find out that David had arranged for Michael Fabiano, a popular and successful up and coming tenor who is now performing the role of Alfred in the Met's Die Fledermaus, to speak with us. I admit, I was starstruck. Luckily, all of the questions I had were answered because I know that had I asked them myself, I would have fumbled over my words. I thought he was very honest and upfront with our group, but in a sincere and genuine way, which I really appreciated. It was also great hearing from an individual who is now performing in a leading role at the Met.
Continuing with the cheers portion of this blog, tonight we also had the pleasure of attending "Fun House" at the Public Theater. The show was amazing! The plot revolves around a forty something woman who is lesbian who self narrates her life and her relationship with her father. The story switches from the past and the present while the present aged protagonist, Allison, is active in all of the scenes. The cast was small, but insanely talented and included three young children actors who perfectly carried the stage with grace and intensity throughout the drama. What I found to be most impressive was how strongly acted the musical was throughout. The singing was also impeccable from the actors, which enhanced the intensity of the show. I would recommend this show to everyone. Throughout, the musical addressed such themes as sexuality, parent-child relationships, first loves, loves lost, growing old, and self discovery in all capacities.
Tears:
Due to "Fun House" being such an amazing show, I am not ashamed to say that I cried throughout the entire second half. The relationship between the father and daughter was so real and was handled so beautifully that I genuinely felt for the characters. What made the musical even more devastatingly fantastic was that within the first few minutes, we were told the fate of the father and the daughter. This made the plot even more intense for me because I needed to know the journey of this family, and boy when I found out and it hit me hard. I took solace in knowing that everyone sitting to my right and left were also in tears at the end of the show. Overall, as I stated before, the musical was beautiful! I would certainly see it again. And, as an added bonus, Judy Kuhn, who was the voice of Pocahontas, played the mother in the show and I was lucky enough to get a picture with her, which basically made my life!
With now having the ability to cross "get a picture with a Disney princess" off my bucket list, I am hoping to have a new found sense of confidence for our masterclass tomorrow! WWPD-What Would Pocahontas Do? She would go around that river bend and so shall I!
Cory Bristol
Today was in a word: amazing. To begin my blog for today, I am becoming increasingly nervous about our masterclass with Claudia Catania. Although voice is my primary instrument, I have my own reservations about my technique. I am extremely honored to have been selected to participate in this immersion trip, but I do get nervous because the majority of our cohort are performance majors. Despite these fears and my own insecurities, I am excited to hear from another voice teacher about my singing and vocal technique. On an even more selfish note, I am singing the piece I will sing for the masterclass in my senior recital, which will act as my final vocal representation at UWEC. In this sense, I am thrilled to receive as much help as possible to be able to enhance my technique and improve my piece.
Cheers:
Four students also had the pleasure of participating in a vocal coaching with David Sytkowski. This experience, although I did not sing, was amazing! David was such an extremely talented man who I really admired how he encouraged performance practice and textual expression to portray the pieces more effectively and even correct issue with tone. I particularly enjoyed listening to him, because I am considering a possible graduate school degree in musicology, he used a lot of performance history to support his interpretations which I thought was really impressive. It was also impressive how expansive his repertoire bank is and how, on the drop of a hat, he can reference so many lieder, arias, ect. It was also very exciting to find out that David had arranged for Michael Fabiano, a popular and successful up and coming tenor who is now performing the role of Alfred in the Met's Die Fledermaus, to speak with us. I admit, I was starstruck. Luckily, all of the questions I had were answered because I know that had I asked them myself, I would have fumbled over my words. I thought he was very honest and upfront with our group, but in a sincere and genuine way, which I really appreciated. It was also great hearing from an individual who is now performing in a leading role at the Met.
Continuing with the cheers portion of this blog, tonight we also had the pleasure of attending "Fun House" at the Public Theater. The show was amazing! The plot revolves around a forty something woman who is lesbian who self narrates her life and her relationship with her father. The story switches from the past and the present while the present aged protagonist, Allison, is active in all of the scenes. The cast was small, but insanely talented and included three young children actors who perfectly carried the stage with grace and intensity throughout the drama. What I found to be most impressive was how strongly acted the musical was throughout. The singing was also impeccable from the actors, which enhanced the intensity of the show. I would recommend this show to everyone. Throughout, the musical addressed such themes as sexuality, parent-child relationships, first loves, loves lost, growing old, and self discovery in all capacities.
Tears:
Due to "Fun House" being such an amazing show, I am not ashamed to say that I cried throughout the entire second half. The relationship between the father and daughter was so real and was handled so beautifully that I genuinely felt for the characters. What made the musical even more devastatingly fantastic was that within the first few minutes, we were told the fate of the father and the daughter. This made the plot even more intense for me because I needed to know the journey of this family, and boy when I found out and it hit me hard. I took solace in knowing that everyone sitting to my right and left were also in tears at the end of the show. Overall, as I stated before, the musical was beautiful! I would certainly see it again. And, as an added bonus, Judy Kuhn, who was the voice of Pocahontas, played the mother in the show and I was lucky enough to get a picture with her, which basically made my life!
With now having the ability to cross "get a picture with a Disney princess" off my bucket list, I am hoping to have a new found sense of confidence for our masterclass tomorrow! WWPD-What Would Pocahontas Do? She would go around that river bend and so shall I!
Cory Bristol
So many amazing experiences
The past couple days have been packed with such amazing experiences. Yesterday we attended a Yoga for Voice session, which opened my mind to yoga and got me thinking about using my body and breathing when I play music. After that we met with extra chorister for the Met Abigail Wright. She had some great things to say about networking and life as a performer in NYC. Then it was off to Times Square to buy tickets to see another show. I ended up seeing Avenue Q, which was incredibly hilarious and I recommend it to everyone that enjoys a good laugh and great songs. The acting was incredible, as was the songwriting, the story, and the jokes. I know another music book I am buying when I get home now...
Today was a very interesting day. It started with a trek up to Harlem to attend Mount Neboh Baptist church, quickly followed by a trek back down to the hotel as they tried to charge us for admission. It was an interesting experience that brings up all sorts of questions and issues of diversity, lenses, discrimination, and religion. We later had a few people work with vocal coach David Sytkowski, originally from Wisconsin. He was great, it was great to observe him work with some singers. He had very insightful things to say about musicality and diction that was very interesting to me as a non-singer. And as a surprise, we were able to meet with Michael Fabiano, an up and coming tenor currently singing the role of Alfred in Die Fledermaus at the Met (which we will be seeing on Tuesday). Then tonight we saw the musical Fun Home at the Public Theater, which was quite amazing and a very emotional experience. The acting was so powerful, and it definitely made me cry.
I have been learning so much on this trip it's incredible, and a lot to take in all at once. After hearing so many musicals and being surrounded by such great singers and musicality, it has definitely affirmed that I for sure want to write in the opera/musical theater genre. The power of music to express drama, emotion, and the human experience is so great, and I want to be a part of that.
I am looking forward to getting an opportunity to work with Claudia Catania tomorrow. As a beginning singer getting to work with one of the greatest voice teachers in the world, I am overjoyed and so grateful for the experience (and also a little nervous). The rest of the trip shall be fun as well.
-Jordan
Today was a very interesting day. It started with a trek up to Harlem to attend Mount Neboh Baptist church, quickly followed by a trek back down to the hotel as they tried to charge us for admission. It was an interesting experience that brings up all sorts of questions and issues of diversity, lenses, discrimination, and religion. We later had a few people work with vocal coach David Sytkowski, originally from Wisconsin. He was great, it was great to observe him work with some singers. He had very insightful things to say about musicality and diction that was very interesting to me as a non-singer. And as a surprise, we were able to meet with Michael Fabiano, an up and coming tenor currently singing the role of Alfred in Die Fledermaus at the Met (which we will be seeing on Tuesday). Then tonight we saw the musical Fun Home at the Public Theater, which was quite amazing and a very emotional experience. The acting was so powerful, and it definitely made me cry.
I have been learning so much on this trip it's incredible, and a lot to take in all at once. After hearing so many musicals and being surrounded by such great singers and musicality, it has definitely affirmed that I for sure want to write in the opera/musical theater genre. The power of music to express drama, emotion, and the human experience is so great, and I want to be a part of that.
I am looking forward to getting an opportunity to work with Claudia Catania tomorrow. As a beginning singer getting to work with one of the greatest voice teachers in the world, I am overjoyed and so grateful for the experience (and also a little nervous). The rest of the trip shall be fun as well.
-Jordan
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