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I went to college to be an opera singer, not a writer. Full voice scholarship, even meals paid. And I carried through that shit and ended up getting some work as a professional tenor. This is America where classical music rarely pays anyone full-time $, so it was a part-time job.
Anyway, the 2000s begin & inspired by my (then-new, 2nd) wife Dana I begin a blog, because I& #39;ve always been a writer, too. Just never had my shit together enough to push it. But blogging, for a writer with my lousy attention span, was perfect.
About 5 years after I started my 1st blog I was essentially scouted by an editor for the Crime Library and BLAM became a professional. No idea what I was doing, but I had some basic skills & intuition that worked in my favor. Writing & later editing became my job.
Now that& #39;s what I do. It was always who I was. But even though I let singing slip to the side by about 2007 or so, in the last couple of years I& #39;ve realized I& #39;m still a singer, too. These things are all related, not separated in little boxes. I began taking voice lessons again.
In short order, my 1st audition for an opera in over 10 years, I got the lead tenor role, the 2019 Greater Worcester Opera production of The Mikado.
But I wasn& #39;t sounding like myself yet.
But I wasn& #39;t sounding like myself yet.
I can be a champion overthinker. And my teacher, Jane Shivick, spotted this quickly. I obsess. I tinker. I try stuff, throw it out, try over. Go back to zero & re-launch. Through The Mikado & ensuing performances with GWO people said nice things, but I did not sound like ... me.
My high notes were wrong. It wasn& #39;t Jane& #39;s fault; she was saying all the good stuff you& #39;d expect from a soprano who& #39;d won the Metropolitan Opera Nat& #39;l Council Finals -- a huge deal in opera. Jane could even tell what I was doing. Which was overthinking, then clenching.
After a lesson in which we discussed (with a lot of laughs, but it was a seriously-intended conversation) my overthinking I went home bummed out. Started singing & realized something idiotically simple. If you don& #39;t know about singing technique, this& #39;ll blow your mind.
All along, I& #39;d been feeling way too much in my throat. All the tension was in my throat. I would hold my sound back with my throat.
I began repeating in my head, "If you feel it in your throat, stop & re-start till you don& #39;t." That was it. That was my new singing mantra.
I began repeating in my head, "If you feel it in your throat, stop & re-start till you don& #39;t." That was it. That was my new singing mantra.
It was the most KISS -- Keep It Simple, Stupid -- moment I& #39;ve ever had. And in my next lesson it was obvious something had changed. I was free. And I told Jane I just realized I had to get my throat out of the way. Which I know she found both perplexing and hilarious.
I& #39;d been thinking about everything but the most basic thing once you& #39;ve established good breathing and learned music -- let that voice out. Let it go. It& #39;s that simple. If you feel it in your throat, stop, re-start, sing till you don& #39;t.
Suddenly I wanted to sing more than ever.
Suddenly I wanted to sing more than ever.
