Imagine your brain is a garden, except instead of growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables, you grow synaptic connections between neurons. When you learn lots of new things, your brain builds connections, but they’re inefficient, impromptu connections. Your brain needs to prune a lot of those connections away and build more streamlined, efficient pathways. It does […]

How many singers continually neglect to take the time to put the music into the voice before they stand up and perform? It seems there is more and more instant performing than ever. This process seems to be a lost art. I find it so helpful to take a new piece of music or an […]

In the business of opera, it is a given that a singer must focus on a myriad of things in preparation for an audition. Here’s the laundry list that you have probably heard over and over, that you need to pay attention to. First and foremost, the importance of a solid vocal technique; then thorough […]

Don’t know if you knew this, but 35 years ago I took a hiatus from my career, and moved back to my home state of Arizona when my children were about to enter High School. In making this decision, I knew I would find great support from my family who lived there. It was at […]

What do you think largely determines your choices, behavior, beliefs and thoughts?  You know that instant response that happens before you even think.  It’s your habits, those unconscious, automatic choices that surround you each day. They guide how you get dressed in the morning and fall asleep at night. They affect what you eat, how […]

How do you prepare to be “part of the process” when you are hired to do a role? It is just a job after all, not a popularity contest or a stage for a pity party when things go wrong. Going to do a job, means you are thoroughly prepared in every aspect of your […]

What’s one of the first things we as humans think about when we meet someone new? How much of my time, energy, or money, my resources, do I want to spend with this person, at this time?” The next thing we do is to make distinctions by deleting, distorting and generalizing all conversation and impressions […]

In being invited to do a Master Class, whether it is here in the USA or Europe, I am almost always surprised by how unprepared the singer/performer can be. What is the purpose of a Master Class? It’s an opportunity to let the Master Teacher see, hear and feel, where you are right this minute […]

Getting back to your regular routine after your summer activities, no matter what they were, can sometimes feel like a letdown and the same old boring stuff that isn’t really working for you. This is the time to step up your resolve to create goals for where you want to go. It’s making sure you […]