Continuing the Journey

I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity to have had this amazing learning experience. It has only been a little over a month since the trip and I already feel more confident in myself and my abilities. After experiencing NYC I've noticed many changes in myself. One thing I have noticed is that I'm more assertive and confident in myself. Being in New York and talking with all of the amazing artist has shown me that I have to be confident in myself and believe that I am good enough. I will admit that there has been moments since then that I have had that "little voice" come in saying I wasn't good enough, but I am learning how to deal with that "little voice" and not dwell on my mistakes, but rather learn from them. I understand now how truly young I am in my career and that mistakes are necessary for me to learn and grow.

I realize now that I need to accept where I am in my path. After seeing my first opera at the MET I was so excited, inspired and pretty overwhelmed. It seemed so unreal to me that someone could achieve that level of mastery. I can still remember feeling the resonance of their voices in my chest. I remember leaning towards the stage with my eyes afraid to blink because I didn't want to miss the next breath that went down into the floor and release of sound that seemed to be endless. After seeing that I realized how truly young I am and how hard I am going to have to work to reach that level. Now I know I want to reach that level, and I know it's possible.

I wanted to know how. How do you get to that point? That seems to be the million dollar question. After meeting all of the performers in NYC it seems there is no one single answer to that question. There is no one path that everyone must take. I realize now that you have to make your own path and trust in it. Everyone's story is different, therefor mine will be unique to me only.

Going into this trip I had a goal of finding out what I really wanted to do. Do I want to teach or perform? Now I realize that I don't have to choose right now. There was so much diversity in the careers of everyone we talked to from being a dancer to a vocal coach to an opera singer to an agent. They all emphasized how you have to keep an open mind and take the opportunities that come because you never know where your next opportunity will come from. I figure I need to learn as much as I can right now and take the opportunities as they come. The important thing is that I am ready to take those opportunities once they do arise. After being in NYC I feel as though I have a clearer understanding of what I have to do to prepare myself for those times.

Some of the performers I spoke to are currently making the switch between young artist and professional. It was helpful to hear them talk about their experiences honestly. After hearing their stories and experiences  I now feel that I could do it too. I really would love to be in NYC as a young performer auditioning and doing competitions, and living in a small apartment taking the subway every day. I would also love to be a professor at a university teaching young aspiring performers. Either way I now feel confident that I have the tools and ability to take the steps to get to those goals. I still don't know where I want to end up, but I'm OK with that because the journey seems to be just as important if not more as the end goal.

Kelly

Reflecting

My overall immersion experience to New York can be described in one word… actually, it can’t. This kind of opportunity was no doubt one of the best experiences of my life, and using one word to describe this trip would not do it enough justice to how it really was for me. During my one week in New York I learned, made mistakes and grew from them, experienced culture and new things, and got a glimpse into my life as it could be in the near future. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have gone on this with my friends and colleagues.  Going to NYC was exactly what I needed, and I am looking forward to reflecting on my thoughts, goals, and questions that I had answered on this trip.

            On this trip there are things that I thought I did well, as well as things I thought I could have done better. Something I was very proud of myself for doing was becoming more independent. I followed some of the older people around for a little while on the subways and streets, but soon I knew enough about them to go on with one other person or even lead people myself. I was pleased with how well I caught on, considering how confused and a little bit frightened I was when we first arrived. Another thing that I thought went well for me was my ability to truly enjoy every performance. Sometimes, regrettably, I sit through a performance, sort of enjoying it but sort of waiting for it to be over. I can say that while in New York I enjoyed every performance thoroughly.  It could have been the high standards of every show, but whatever it was, I took a lot out of all the performances. One of my favorites would have to be the Paul Taylor dance company show. The second half was my favorite, during the WWI dance. At first, I though it was a happy kind of tone, but later I learned of the true meaning to the dance and it was actually quite chilling. What Paul Taylor did with his choreography was genius. There were also a lot of things that surprised me on this trip. One of those things was how expensive everything really was. I knew that things were more than here in the Midwest, but I never expected how much they really were. That being said, living in a hotel was more expensive because you couldn’t just go to the grocery store and cook from home, which saves a lot more than eating out at a restaurant for every single meal.  Another thing that surprised me was the different way that restaurants are run, and the different kinds of service that you get there. There’s not as much hospitality at the restaurants in Manhattan, and that really took me for a spin at first and made me feel uncomfortable. But then I realized that that is just the culture and the mood of the city, and not everyone is mean, they’re just very straightforward no “bs” type of people. Accepting this allowed me to have a better experience. There are some things that I wish I could have done differently and will do differently for next time. One of those things is plan ahead a bit more. I feel like I started packing a little too late, and I did not bring enough clothes (surprisingly) so that was a bit of a downer, but very minor.  Other than that, I know I still have a lot of learning to do about the city, and when I have another chance to go, I will learn even more!

            There were many new discoveries I made on this trip both culturally, personally, and professionally. I came across so many aspects of culture during my time in NYC. One of them was the food I ate and got to experience. The first day I got there, we went to a Thai place called “Curry in a Hurry,” and I ordered a spicy dish with eggplant in it, which I had never tried. For the most part, I really enjoyed the dish and was glad that I tried it! Another culture aspect was the people. New York attracts so many types of different people because of its many opportunities. Being from the Midwest, we’re not so used to all of this, even coming from Milwaukee. I enjoyed being around lots of different people because it makes for a better and well rounded person who is not afraid of different cultures, and I was really exposed to all of it. One of my discoveries about diversity has been that if you feel uncomfortable with something, that’s ok. The point is to go for something and try it, and not worry about what happens as a result, as long as you learn something from it. One will not like all of the same things as another person; that’s what makes us different. A new discovery I have made personally would have to be my ability to believe that you can make it in the performing world. All you need is a hard work ethic, a positive attitude, and talent. Something important that I learned from this trip was to come into an audition, give it your all, and if you don’t get the job, don’t be upset or mad at yourself. Your only job as someone auditioning is to show up and sing. It is the director’s job to pick who gets the job, and you, nor any of the other auditions have that control. Realizing this gives me peace of mind and allowed me to go through my recent Les Mis auditions and callbacks with an open mind and a kind and non-critiquing mind. Even though I didn’t get the role I hoped for, I still got two callbacks for a lead, and now the directors know my voice and what I can do. It was not all in vain, and it was their job to pick who got the role of Cosette, not mine. A discovery that I have made in the professional area has simply been this: know your type. Type meaning, who you can play in a musical or opera. And the important thing is this: embrace it! I spent a lot of time trying to be a character that although I could be successful at it, it was going against what I felt comfortable with vocally, as well as robbing myself out of something or someone I could be really good at playing. Not to mention, I was really hurting my voice singing the way I was singing. I learned in NYC from multiple people who told me what my “type” was and received lots of direction from them, which was a HUGE breakthrough for me in a professional level, but can also be connected to my personal discoveries because it has directed me in such a good way.

                  My professional goal/question was about being a classical-musical theatre crossover. Is it possible? My question was answered on this trip: yes it is possible! With hard work and knowing exactly what kind of music you want to sing, it is possible. One of the hard things about being a crossover is having people trying to change you. One of the people in New York I talked with explained to me that people will try to have you sing things that you know you cannot sing, and it is important for a young singer to know your voice well enough to politely say "no." So in conclusion, yes it is possible to be a classical crossover, but using your common sense and knowledge of your own voice is crucial. This summer I will find out more about this question through voice lessons and being involved in theatre, so I can have that experience under my belt. Going to NYC made me realize I have so much work to do, and I cannot wait to get started! I'm still so pleased to have had this opportunity. :)

Laura 

          

From the Inside Looking Out



Inside Juilliard

Since I was a young girl I always dreamed of attending Juilliard. I believed that this was the most magical place ever... On Wednesday March 20th I had the privilege to not only admire Juilliard from the outside, but walk in and explore as if I were a student!

One of our tasks for this trip was to network with people in New York City. Our mission was to seek out people that we were interested in interviewing on our trip, and finding a way to contact them. For weeks I sent what seemed to be a million emails to anyone and everyone in New York City! I used my best friend Google to help in the search process. Originally, my plan was to find someone that played piano in hotel lobbies, or for dance classes. I never had any luck with the lobby pianists. None of them emailed me back, which was disappointing. I found a young man that played at a dance studio but he was leaving the city when I would be arriving.

This trip date was approaching and I felt that I was making slow progress networking. After weeks of attempting to contact people, I was not having any luck. I did not have anyone to interview yet... I remember sitting in my practice room at school, brainstorming what I could possibly do next. Then it dawned on me!!!

Why not use Facebook to find people!!! I then decided that rather then just seek out people that already have established careers, why not contact students around my age! I quickly got on Facebook and started clicking away. I had one friend on Facebook that was a successful musician and a Juiliard graduate. I used his profile as my gateway. I went through his friends and clicked so far into a pool of connections, that before I knew it I had an entire page of all of the pianists at Juilliard before my eyes. With all the 'add friends' icons, I couldn't resist.... I went through and "added" up a storm! Within 10 minutes I was already getting notifications of new friends. Not just any friends.... but FRIENDS THAT ATTEND JUILLIARD! The next step was to send these kind people messages explaining what I had just done. There were two students that I decided looked pretty cool and I wanted to meet! So I focused on getting them to meet with me. I sent two very thorough messages explaining that I was going on this trip and I would love to meet them... The guy responded within an hour. The girl responded that weekend. To my surprise they agreed to meet with me! I was astonished that that all happened so quick! It is amazing what you can accomplish with technology now...

When we arrived in NYC I messaged the two Juilliard students and told them I was there! Unfortunately the guy could no longer meet with me, but the girl was still planning on meeting me. A couple weeks before I got there I had emailed her and asked her if she was playing in any recitals while I would be there. She replied, "No I am not, but I would be happy to play for you regardless." I was looking forward to this!! It was confirmed, Wednesday morning I would go to Juilliard. She would get me at the security desk, show me around the school then play for me in a practice room!!!

Wednesday morning approached and I was on my way to Juilliard!!!!!!!! I had gone to the Today show that morning with Kelly and Laura, and then they dropped me off at Juilliard! I texted Leann and she came to get me at the security desk. It was funny when she approached me, she exclaimed, "I have that scarf too!" I thought wow, this girl is just like me!

I was surprised at how plain Juilliard is inside. it is very white, clean, and there is not much going on. But CLEARLY inside all the practice rooms there is a TON going on. My tour was brief but by the quick glance I got at the library, I can tell you that Juilliard has a GORGEOUS library!!!

The practice room that Leann took me to was similar to one of UWEC's music classrooms. It was similar in size and had two Steinways. There were two large windows with an amazing view of the city! After chatting for a bit she played for me! It was amazing. Her playing helped clarify one thing for me... It is perfectly realistic to go to Juilliard. HOWEVER, you must practice VERY hard!!! She was proof. Talking to her, I quickly realized she is a PERSON! A normal person! I think over the years I made myself believe that it was impossible to go to Juilliard... I didn't think an ordinary person could go there. But like I said, with hard work, and dedication, anything is possible! That is what Leann kept saying to me too. I told her my goals and dreams. She encouraged me and said that my goals are realistic and  I just need to keep working towards them. She also said that the most important thing is to keep a positive self image! She stressed the importance of professionalism and being personable.

Having this amazing opportunity to meet this wonderful person, she opened my eyes and pushed me to want to fight even harder for my dreams! From this experience I made that decision that I will go audition at Juilliard for grad school just as a personal goal, to know that I did it. She told me that you should try for everything you want. There is nothing to lose.

That day I reflected on my possible future and turned the tables so that instead of being in Eau Claire, Wisconsin dreaming about Juilliard.... I was in the moment, inside Juilliard looking out to the world and thinking, "I will do this when I am ready!"

I can do this.

 Sincerely,

Kayla Shoemaker



Impact at it's Finest

As I sit here and try to think of a clever way to begin this blog all I can think about is the concept of time. We never know how much time we have, and in the moments we take time to appreciate, they are gone faster than we ever could have imagined. Time is valuable, and time is something not to be wasted. I have hit back space entirely too many times while coming up with the beginning of this blog. The moral of the story, is that if you ever have time to meet a choreographer from New York City -- do it. 

My personal interview for the week was with choreographer John Dietrich on our 4th day of the trip. He was the director and choreographer for the Radio City Rockettes for 17 years and I couldn't believe that I had the opportunity to meet with him! His nephew goes to UWEC and I just so happened to bring him home for Christmas break / made small talk on the ride back / talked about NYC and he was able to connect me with his uncle! I was nervous to be meeting someone from the city for the first time, and no matter how many preparations I had tried to make or deep breaths I took, it was a bit hard to stifle my onset of emotions.

HOWEVER, almost immediately after John introduced himself I felt better. He was an extremely nice man who was happy to be able to meet me on my trip, and gave me such an insight to the world of dance and choreography in America! He has lived in both Los Angeles and NYC, as well as working on cruise ships and travelling with his career! In his opinion, New York was the place to be, and his attitude of “just go for it” continues to stick with me even as we approach a month since we have been there already.

Time. It works in the weirdest ways, and has gone by TOO fast this year! In the time we spent in New York, it taught me how to face my fears, substitute patience in times of panic, and I learned that if I “just go for it”, amazing opportunities can fall into my lap. Networking is incredible. New York is incredible. Finding out what life has in store for me -- will be incredible. 

Katherine

"The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself." - Oscar Wilde

I'm very glad I got the chance to let my thoughts marinate since we came back from New York. Looking back on my notes, I feel like I really understand more about everything we learned throughout the trip. 

Specifically, my interview was one of the times that I learned the most "practical" advice about the opera world.  Kelly, Laura, and I had lunch with Joanna Dionis, a dramatic mezzo-soprano, and it was really informative about some of the day-to-day life of a singer.  Joanna's at the point in her career when she's just looking for a manager, so it was helpful to be able to talk to someone who's still in the unmanaged stages of performing.  That's where I'll be soon.  

She talked to us mostly about auditioning (she'd just come from an audition when we met).  I've heard before this trip that you really only audition in the fall and then again in the spring, that they're not spread out like musical theatre.  However, Joanna said she usually auditions twice a week (not just for opera opportunities, for competitions and other solo performances).  That was really comforting to hear - knowing that I wouldn't have to stress out twice a year to try and get every audition because there wouldn't be any other chances.  She also said that competitions are a great way to become more well-known.  I'd never thought of that, but it makes sense:  the opera world is pretty small, and so sooner or later you eventually meet up with everyone. 

Random audition discoveries upon talking to Joanna: 

• People often want to hear oratorio works
• The professionals are wearing black dresses (so wearing a red dress to stand out might make the audition panel focus on your clothing more than your voice.)

We also talked a bit about how she figured out her social network upon moving to the city.  She actually got a master's in fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College before she started singing, so she became friends with her classmates there first.  (Yes, one of my questions was about how you find friends in a huge city - but I feel more confident meeting and talking to people I don't really know now.  One of the last nights in the city a group of us - Marie, Andy, Sam, and I - went out for food and we ended up striking up a conversation with our server.  He's a young actor trying to make it in the city, and I feel like we probably would have met up with him again if we had more time.) 

One other random professional thought she gave me: 

• The first few rehearsals (of a professional engagement), sing with full voice, and only then mark. I'd never heard that before, but it makes sense.  Whoever hires you wants to feel confident about their choice. :) 

We also talked about what it's like growing into your voice, and trying to be patient to wait while it changes.  As of now, I'm definitely not a dramatic soprano, but I'm headed towards full lyric/maybe spinto-land.  So it's a lot of "hurry-up-and-wait," which is sometimes frustrating, especially since the majority of my classmates have lighter voices than me and can start playing with the roles that will likely stay in their repertoire.  It was refreshing to be able to talk to someone who understands what it's like, vocally. 

I'm starting to feel confident about my voice, and now I am so grateful that I have my fifth year to focus on gaining more of my professional skills, as well as prepare for graduate school. 

Jordyn Beranek

NYC interview: My questions answered!

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my trip to NYC that happened less than a month ago! It was truly a special and exciting time. 
During my time in New York, I had an interview with my good friend Daniel Hoeft, who is at AMDA studying musical theatre. He is now in the cast of "Hairspray" as a chorus member and will be graduating in June. He is extremely talented and I learned lots of information during this interview. 
I first asked him to let me tour AMDA. At the time, the school was under lock-down for security reasons, but the security guard let me in after a few suspicious glances and taking my ID. 
Dan showed me the practice rooms, the dance rooms, his dorm- basically everything there was to see! It was SO much different than I expected it to be. Everything was small and cramped-although cool to still be in New York- and I realized how good we have it here! Every floor only had one shower, so that means 30+ people to one bathroom every day, which would be crazy at this school.

Another question I had was about safety. Being in New York means being in a large city, with many kinds of people. I wanted to know how safe he felt going to AMDA. His answer was exactly what I wanted to hear; he said that the safety of the school is high. He feels like its a small community, and everyone looks out for each other. He even talked about how he feels safe at night walking back alone!

Of course, hearing about how at the time he was auditioning for "Hairspray" made me want to know all about the audition process! What was required? Is it super intimidating? Are people generally supportive? Dan said that generally auditions are very intimidating if you get nervous easily, however he finds it easy to focus his energy on not thinking about other auditions, but just by thinking about what he can do better. He says that it is a cattle call audition, and that most times casting directors are mostly interested in what you look like, and if your personality fits the character you are auditioning for. This is one of the most important things they are looking for, so it's important to be yourself! This way, you can get a role thats perfect for YOU. He said that in most auditions, its a 16 bar selection is required, and to put it neatly in a binder for the accompanist. Also, the more you prepare, the better you will feel. So be prepared! Dan says that to prepare for an audition he practices in front of as many people as he can, but only chooses a select few people to ask for criticism, because everyone will have a different opinion.

I also had questions about the social life around NYC. How does one be smart with money when you're in such an exciting place? He says to have extra money set aside when you move to New York, so that when you get here and splurge on something, (it happens) you won't be fresh out of money that you actually needed. Eventually, the initial buzz feeling of the city wears off, and you can settle down and start enjoying the free things New York has to offer. 
I was also curious about how many times he has seen his family, and if it is hard for him. He's very close with his parents and he says that its important to set aside time to talk on the phone, or Skype. Doing so will really help with being homesick. 

All in all, I got the impression that Dan absolutely loves where he's at, and he loves the feeling of being in such a great place with so many opportunities. 


Oh and I still want to go back.
Laura Schachner

Interview and coaching with David

In New York, I had an interview and a coaching with David Sytkowski who is a vocal coach and an accompanist. I was really looking forward to this interview and coaching because I had never had a coaching before, and because David had just moved there this summer and knows first hand what it's like to make the big move to the city.

For my interview, Jordyn and Andy came along. We took the subway to his apartment  We got there early so we had a chance to walk around and get a feel of the neighborhood since this would be like the neighborhood I would be moving to if I were to move to NYC. Once we got to David's apartment we had to call in through two gates which made it seem a little more safe. I noted this to myself for if I ever went to get an apartment there. I was surprised to see how big and nice his apartment was, and the walls are thick so he can hold his coachings there. We then all went to an Italian restaurant near by for the interview.

At the interview I learned more about living in NYC. I learned that you need to be personable. Networking is extremely important and will help you out a lot when you first get there. I learned that everyone's paths are different and you don't have to do something one way just because that's the way someone else did it. I also learned that the goal is not to be perfect. It's the ones that are able to express there love and are able to communicate what they are trying to say that make it. You need to separate yourself from that little voice inside your head and not to take criticisms personally. I also learned that you need to put yourself out there and be your own light and to always have card with you. You need to be open minded in the work you get because the more you can do, the more marketable you are.

I then went back to his apartment for a coaching. In the coaching we worked on "Lascia ch'io pianga" by Handel. He had me speak the recitative to feel the natural rhythm and word stresses of the language. This taught me that the pacing is not in a meter but rather in the speech. We also worked on the difference between silence and breathing in the recitative. Just because there is a rest doesn't mean you breath, the phrase is still moving you breath for grammar. We worked a lot on word stresses and making it on 1 and 3. I learned a lot more about the function of the language  Italian moves fast but it does not mean you minimize the sounds. I learned to speak the Italian with stresses being longer and then add pitches later. We then worked on staying in the initial instinct more because my initial instinct is correct, but then I will add more to it. We worked on this by getting me to think more tall slender and heady. We worked on having vowels being consistent and pure by keeping a consistent shape in my mouth and not changing the vowel until the syllable changes. We also worked on not digging the notes before the high note by expanding in all directions, maintaining length and height, and breathing for the highest note of the phrase because one you breath all you are doing is expelling air. You need to start released and keep releasing. I learned a lot about preparation for aria's and how you need to know everything that is going on in the score, the instrumentation, the other characters, if there are others involved in it, etc.

After the coaching, we talked some more about fach and how you don't need to know it right now but just sing what feels right at the moment and trust your teacher to guide you. We also talked about picking the right school and teacher for graduate school. I learned that you need to try out the teacher before hand and pick the school with the teacher you feel will work best with you.

I learned so much in such a small amount of time and I feel so lucky to have gotten this opportunity.

Kelly