Why study?

happy weekend!

Conversations with the singers that work with me always bring me to further thought - and often it ends up here on the blog!

This one came up several times this week.

Why study?

I am always flabbergasted - and probably shouldn't be given our social climate - that so many think, in portions of our business - that their undergrad is done,  and so,  why study anymore?

Or  - there are some who have begun a professional career but don't further their studies.

The reasons why those attitudes and decisions are made aren't the point of this blog post.

More to the point,  why study?  why continue to study?  why pick up your study?  and most importantly,  why wouldn't you?

We are athletes are singers and performers.  We need to keep that physicality in the best shape.  Great athletes are constantly honing their craft,  their physicality,  working with coaches on all levels of their work.

As singers,  our physicality and metabolic life is continuing to change, morph and develop.  If we don't work with it and develop it fully,  and allow for it to be realized,  how can we call ourselves professional?

If we are asked to be part of the equipment - doing 8 shows a week - wouldn't it be the natural realization to keep working on the technical behavior so that instrument and equipment can do its job well?

If we are just at the beginning of a possible career,  wouldn't it make sense to keep exploring and studying what the physicality and technique can develop into in order to access it more fully and more specifically?

If you are in your career - wouldn't a regular tune up and 2nd set of ears be the thing you'd need to keep you aligned, balanced and healthy?

We have trainers at the gym;  we have life coaches;  we learn to eat well;  we take dance classes or yoga classes or pilates classes;  we may even take a performance class or two;  we keep getting new head shots;  we keep updating our websites;  we keep auditioning...

but do we study?

Do we learn how we do what we do?  how we need to re-approach what we thought was working and maybe isn't anymore?  do we know how we access that voice? that physicality?  with specific knowledge and action,  or just by the seat of our pants?

Finishing a program doesn't mean you know.

Being cast in a show doesn't mean you know.

You know when you know.  And the more you know the more you want to know.  Because knowing reveals how much there is to continue to learn!

Why study?  Because you must to truly reveal what you have,  what you need to hone,  what you need to develop,  in order to summon your talent at will.

If you call yourself a performer,  or an artist who performs,   then you are connected to the journey of KNOWING.  Knowing requires enquiry;  enquiry requires getting real;  getting real reveals truth; truth reveals authenticity.

Study.

It comes in many forms.

It morphs,  and it changes shape depending on what you need, when you need it.

It doesn't have to be weekly lessons,  although it can be.  It could mean intensive work in the voice studio over a short period of time and then a longer period of allowing that information to wash through you,  and for your technical behavior to catch up physically in order to access things fully.

It could be regular "check-ins".  It could be a combination of intensives and check-ins.

Nothing is in stone.  How you study is reflected on why you study.

I often ask my singers,  "why are you here?  What do you feel you need today?  What do you feel you are here to do?"

Sometimes they know,  sometimes they don't.  Sometimes they think they know,  and as we start to work,  it is revealed what they really need!

So,  why study?

Why wouldn't you?

Even if you are fully formed from a physiological perspective within the singing mechanism,  are you aware of all the micro-shifts and metabolic changes?  Do you know how to access it fully,  freely without issue?  Is your talent easily summoned without restraint,  at will,  because your technical behavior is so ingrained it needs nothing more?

 If you say you are an artist,  or a performer,  then your craft DEMANDS study, observation, changes, adjustments, tweaking, and an honest and true place to explore.

Take on the study - and commit to the lifelong exploration that allows you to access YOU!

Inhabiting Your Craft

Happy Sunday!  Happy April!

I was tagged in a post on Facebook this morning...which got me to thinking...

The post was very complimentary: “…XYZ is a wonderful actress…BUT, her voice needs the tender and intelligent ministrations of SEY.  Her voice is in pieces - you could hear her move from one register to the next, and the “high” notes would crack in between.  It was painful to hear.”

I thank the person who wrote this - I am honored.  And it broke my heart. 

Why do we do this to ourselves?  Why do we neglect or reject a portion of our craft, thinking or hoping or praying, that another aspect will make up for it?

It breaks my heart for many reasons.  One is personal.  I have done this.  I have relied on my acting intelligence when my voice was a mess.  I knew it was a mess.  I knew WHY it was a mess.  I was stubborn (my best and worst trait!) and made myself get through.  Did it work dramatically?  Yes.  Did it work vocally?  Oh hell no.  Was it reliable?  absolutely not.  Was I in survival mode only?  Pretty much.

So, I get it.  I get it more than you will ever know.

This is why I am vehement as a teacher to try to instill the absolute NECESSITY of CRAFT.How does one inhabit one's own craft?What does it demand of you?What does it reveal about you?These are the big questions we have to be strong enough,  stubborn enough,  willful enough,  to ask - and then to ANSWER.

It directs us from opposites.  The "actor" feels the story telling is enough to mask the lack of vocal development.  The "singer" feels the voce will supersede any flaws that the lack of acting intelligence may have.

WRONG.Both, and I do mean, BOTH are crucial to truly inhabiting your craft.

It doesn't matter what genre you are in - music theatre, opera and all its manifestations - CRAFT is CRUCIAL in order to fully inhabit what you say you do and who you say you are.

FEAR is a big obstacle.  I get that.  The "but what if..."  can often be truly in the way.  But what if I can't?  Hey,  but what if you CAN?What scares you?  failing?  or succeeding?

So what are you doing to inhabit your craft?  Where are the weak spots?  Are you just doing a patch job, or are you truly looking at it objectively and seeing it fully - big picture - and are you ready to work on the overhaul?

Craft as a singing actor is CONSTANT.  We work,  we discover, we hone, we physicalize,  we gestate,  we incubate,  we "ah-ha!",  we create behavior,  we create consciousness,  we observe,  we step away,  we internalize,  we materialize...

It's a lot.  It is.  I know that.  But we MUST.  We must honor the craft we say we do.  

I see great actors simply not discovering what they can do for a HEALTHY singing voice.  That's a choice.  A choice NOT to.   We see all their commitment into their acting craft,  and even their SPEAKING voices - but then not what is needed to sing with the same level of authenticity.  The study and discovery has to happen in order to create a fully realized characterization.  The voice doesn't have to be amazing.  An actor who sings may not have a beautiful voice,  but they can create beautiful technical behavior to access what they DO have,  and access their talent at will.

Study doesn't just happen when you book a show.  Study happens in the in-between.  However, when you BOOK,  you better be studying in order to have that 2nd set of ears and eyes keeping you healthy in order to do your work!  The maintenance is KEY.  Maintenance cannot happen if the behavior has not been achieved.

The same goes for singers who act.  I have heard incredible voices and as soon as I see them on stage - I can't watch.  They are awkward.  They have no idea what to do with their bodies,  how to move,  how to physicalize their voices with any dramatic choice.  We lose how magnificent the voice is,  because we SEE the awkwardness or the self-involvement with the SOUND and the craft of acting doesn't exist.  A character is not realized.  This isn't inhabiting the fullness of craft either.

With both singing and acting -  you must look at each specifically before you can integrate fully.  You need to discover the physical behavior of EACH in order to embody BOTH.

"It's good enough" my darlings, is bullshit.  It's your stress management talking.  Trust me, been there, done that, have the tattoo.

Inhabiting your craft takes time,  perseverance,  tenacity,  stubbornness,  willingness,  desire,  passion and drive.  

It's not over till it's over.  It will be enough when you aren't over thinking and overcompensating and aren't making excuses for something.  And then,  the muses will reveal what more you can do!Inhabit because you MUST.  

Your craft demands all of you.

I just don't know what to do with you...

It's Saturday!

"I just don't know what to do with you..."

Ever heard that before?

I could have had that on every t-shirt as I was actively auditioning and learning how to manage the mine-field.

My answer of course was: "HIRE ME DAMMIT!"

However,  alas,  not so much...

Why?

Why was I told they didn't know what to do with me?

Why was I told how talented,  how musical,  how beautiful my voice was,  how skilled I was,  and then .... crickets?

It's about that damn audition room again.  It's about being an artist,  and having to negotiate that audition room.

We do too much.  Yes, we do.

We see the same people getting called back or hired.  What are they doing they we are not?

They aren't.  They aren't doing so much.

Too simple?  Perhaps,  but consider this.

Auditions are an opportunity to be hired.  Too much information in a short time,  even if the person on the other side of the table has imagination and knowledge,  is just too much information.  No time to sift through all that of that - so - NEXT!

So,  now the question is:  what do YOU do with you?

Quit trying so hard.

The perkiness,  the eager to please,  the desperation...way too much.

Quit trying so hard to look or seem indifferent.

The playing around with "I'm not impressed" doesn't work either.

What do you want to show them in the room?

Don't answer so quickly.  See?  That's part of the problem.  You have TONS to show them and that's why they don't know what to do with you,  if YOU don't decide precisely WHAT you will show.

You do not reveal everything.  You do not reveal most things.  You invite them to see one,  maybe two things during that audition/interview that intrigues them enough to call you back:  where you show them a little bit more.

Always leave them wanting more.

Do not leave them confused.

Often, as artists, because our internal lives and therefore our craft process is very complex,  we don't realize how to simplify.  It seems ridiculous to us.  It doesn't seem as if it's enough to be that simplistic in the room.

Really?  That's IT?!  That's ALL I have to do?

Yes, darling,  pick ONE thing to reveal in the room the first time.  Don't angst.  Just focus and do it.

When I began to figure that out and actually do it,  they finally knew what to do with me!

AND I wasn't exhausted after the audition like I had been.  I actually had enough energy to stay present in the room,  do my work,  simplify and leave and have energy to pick up the rest of my day instead of blinding wander back into the street and figure out how I could catch a nap.

Start exploring how you simplify for the audition.  What do you want to reveal?
Start with 3 or 4 things.
Then decide out of those 3 or 4 things what are uniquely you.  Narrow the choices to 1 or 2.

How will you execute those choices?

How will you stay present as you walk into the room with those choices?

How will you breathe in those choices as you prepare to sing?

It feels too simple doesn't it?

But it's not,  yet it is precisely right.

Not too much,  not too little,  but just right.

If you've done the work - if you can rely on your craft,  on your skill,  on your technique in all areas of your work:  voice,  acting,  presentation,  professionalism  - then there is nothing to hide or nothing to hide behind.

This gives you many choices that you can enjoy deciding from.  It isn't about throwing out ideas;  it's about deciding what to reveal today.  You may choose differently tomorrow depending on the call,  the opportunity,  the song choice and your energy!

These are not tricks.  These are decisions.  Decisions can be made because you are committed to craft.  Craft allows you to access more of what YOU will offer.

Offer what you have in small doses.  Give them something they will know what to do with,  instead of throwing the bag on the table and looking up and expecting them to choose.

The rest will follow.

All of your artistic "burn"  will find a place to unfold when you have an opportunity work a callback and then book the role and embody that!

Let's turn "I just don't know what to do with you"  into  "I know JUST what I can do with you"!

Putting yourself in the best light!

It's nearing the end of summer...shhhhh....

Many are in denial but there is an excitement that the fall season brings.  I won't lie:  fall is my favorite season.


So enjoy these last few days before the schedule shifts, and the evenings hopefully get a little cooler, and you have time to re-assess how you want to be seen!

How do you put yourself in the best light?

I was asked by Classical Singer Magazine to adjudicate some of the singers who applied to participate in their first Online Voice Competition.

Obviously,  the competition is working out its kinks as to how to make this idea work effectively, but for a first time, it was very successful.

However,  what was disappointing as an adjudicator is how many singers simply didn't put themselves in the best light in their recording process.

My colleague, Claudia Friedlander, graciously sent me the Carnegie Hall Musical Exchange guidelines for Joyce DiDonato's masterclass series.  You can peruse it here.

For an online competition,  however,  may I suggest some things for you to consider to put yourself in the best light to be seen and heard?  These are observations,  and in our new digital age,  we are constantly learning together!

First, you do not need fancy equipment to record with.  You just need your smartphone.   Look to see what the requirements are - some competitions do not want additional microphone attachments.  Follow the guidelines.

If there is an option between a video and an audio - ALWAYS choose video.  Why?  We want to SEE you.  You are a singing actor - the story telling, the technical behavior resides in your body.  As an adjudicator,  I want to see you!

Do NOT send in a clip of a live performance.  Make this specific for the competition you are submitting for.  We don't want to see an audience member filming you between people's heads where you are not front and center in the frame!  There should be NO distractions.

Please use live piano.  This should be a LIVE recording.  Pre-recorded tracks do you NO favors.

Learn how, or get someone to edit the recording for you.  You don't want to walk in and out of the frame and send that in.  When the video opens, it should be YOU in the frame prepared to slate your name and what you are singing,  or giving yourself those few seconds to let your name/selection come up on the screen if you are really fancy and can add that feature to your finished product.

Where should you record?  Somewhere with a piano that isn't cluttered.  Again, too much distraction doesn't let us stay focused on YOU.  The piano/pianist does not need to be in the frame.  This is about YOU delivering the performance.  You don't want the focus to be so tight that all we see if your head - we want to see how you gesture and use your body.  Full body,  or 3/4 length is fine.

Make sure you don't cut off the top of your head in the frame.  Seriously.

Try to use a neutral wall/space behind you if possible.  Stand away from it - not against it.

Wear clothes and colors that enhance you!  Dress as you would for an audition:  no props, no costumes.

Get your hair off your face so we can SEE you!

Make sure the literal lighting doesn't create shadows on your face.

Give yourself a 5 second count before you start and after you finish so the recording isn't cramped or clipped.

Don't get someone to record by holding your device - even the most steady hand can get a little wobbly!  Create a flat surface that captures you comfortably.

Don't start walking around.  You aren't blocking,  you are presenting an audition-like video.  If you are moving in and out of the video frame,  this doesn't work.  If someone is working your camera for you, (as in, pressing "record" and "stop"),  they shouldn't be shifting it around to find you.  STAY PUT and know the perimeters of space you are working in so you don't wander out of the frame.

If you aren't used to doing this - practice!  Just start recording yourself regularly - so you get to know what your camera does,  what height you want your recording device to be at,  how far away/close up can it be so it captures as much of you as necessary,  what colors look good on camera,  what your "ticks" are - over-gesturing, shifting your weight,  looking down, looking up - so you can learn HOW to be in the frame and in your best light!

As an adjudicator,  I want to see and hear the best YOU - and not see possible potential that just wasn't captured due to a poor recording,  or not knowing what is expected in a general audition/competition.

Reveal yourself in the most professional way you can. We are all in your corner, but we can't do it for you.

Start researching,  start watching,  just start experimenting to see what you can do.

I am a techno-idiot, so if I can do it well,  so can you!

Put yourself in the best light you can!

The Voice Competition, The Audition = THAT ROOM

Saturday musings after reading some heated exchanges online...

What about THAT ROOM?  That room that you enter as a singer for an audition, or for that first or second round as a competitor?

THAT ROOM that those who have been asked to "judge" are sitting at a table waiting to hear you?

As someone who has frequented both sides of that table lo these many years (!),  it is a fascinating observation.

Too often,  when nervous,  when unsure,  our defenses go up and our egos take over as the adrenaline kicks in.  We often over-think,  over-analyze,  over-criticize ourselves and possibly others,  as well as just hyper-extend our energy beyond what is necessary.

So,  what about THAT ROOM for the singer?

First and foremost:  BREATHE.  Nobody is there unless you have decided to be there.  The pianist isn't going to play for a ghost.  The adjudicators, audition panel wouldn't be there unless you had shown up.  Nobody is out to get you.  Everybody is there because YOU are.

So breathe. 

Be present.  In your body.  In your breath.  In each step you take and each observation you make.

If you are prepared you will have practiced the entire process.  You know how to walk;  you know how to talk;  you know how to smile;  you know how to speak with the pianist;  you know how to prepare to sing in that moment.

However,  it is a surreal moment and it's THAT ROOM.  It can be nerve-wracking,  it can be intimidating,  it can start "those voices",  it can create anxiety,  questions,  and panic.

BUT, it doesn't have to!

Those people at the table have been where you are.  They are on your side.  In the moment, you cannot judge nor pledge their behavior.  All you can do is be present in YOUR energy and bring that in.  As soon as you start questioning THEM ("do they like me?" "why did they not look up?" "why is that person frowning?" "why did they look at me like that?")  you are not aware of YOU. 

"Self-centered"  truly must be taken seriously here in a positive way.  Center yourself.  You are not going to know what they think,  what they know,  what they want,  and I am going to tell you a little secret:  IT DOES NOT MATTER.

All that matters is that you are doing YOU.  Authentically YOU.  Real YOU.  Not what you think they want,  but what you DO and who you ARE.

You have no control over what they do,  what they know,  what they are looking for.  You DO have control over YOU.  Knowledge is power.  You know you, so DO you!

What you sometimes DO NOT know is someone on the panel may need to pee.   Someone may have low blood sugar.  Someone may have had a disagreement with a colleague on the panel prior to you walking in;  Someone may be overwhelmed;  Someone may just have resting bitch face even better than yours when they concentrate and listen!

The competition and the audition is a giant puzzle.  A panel is there to try to find pieces that fit together.  It isn't easy,  and it can cause fatigue,  frustration & and more. 

What you see or what you do not see,  on the faces of the panel,  really doesn't matter if you are doing YOU! 

Sometimes people need to snack or eat or sip their coffee.  God knows, I need my coffee if I am going to be doing a full day of adjudication or auditions.  You bring your water in,  and your panel probably needs to bring their coffee or tea or water too.  If their day is insanely busy - they need a pee break!  You want their attention,  so don't take it personally if they excuse themselves for a few minutes to use the bathroom,  or fill up their coffee mug.  You want them fresh and accessible.

I always encourage singers to sit in if possible on some auditions to allow them to see things and experience things from the other side of the table.  It can be an eye-opening experience and isn't just about "being good enough".  So many facets and pieces play into decisions made from that table.

Ultimately,  those of us sitting at that table are rooting for you!  We want your best!  We want you to succeed!  We want to encourage and give constructive criticism for you to walk away with some information that can be helpful and allow you to continue to grow!  Remember, we are simply another set of ears,  hopefully informed,  and another professional opinion.

Opinion.  Not gospel truth.  Nobody has a monopoly on that!

We hope it is an informed opinion and decision that has relevance to the level of whatever audition or  competition you are there for.

We, when sitting at the table,  must remember and conjure what it felt like to be that singer in THAT ROOM.  We have to take control of the situation if it needs an adjustment so we are comfortable,  and that the SINGER is comfortable.  This is not an opportunity to belittle,  to have an ego-attack,  to go into passive-aggressive mode or to play politics or head games. 

Those of us who sit at that table in that room have a great responsibility to teach;  to inform;  to encourage;  to reveal truth;  to LEAN FORWARD and create safety and energy that a singer can feed off of and give us their best work in that moment on that day.

We deserve respect on each side of that table.  We should show respect from each side of that table. 

THAT ROOM is filled with possibility, and no matter which side we are currently on,  we can choose to make it a moment that means something real,  or not. 

Negative knee-jerk reactions have no place in THAT ROOM;  from either side of that table. 

I remember being told a young singer said "she hates me" after I had given her adjudication.   She didn't win,  so her feelings were hurt.  However,  I chose to address it publicly as an overall observation:  I cannot hate you,  because I don't know you at all.  Not winning/not getting a callback/not getting the role doesn't mean more than you didn't win, you didn't get the callback, you didn't get the role.  If you are only concerned about whether someone who doesn't know you,  hates you or likes you,  then you aren't doing YOU while you are performing or auditioning.  You are not staying present in what you say you were prepared to DO.

Just as the singer must be present,  so must the panel sitting at the table.  If they are tired, grouchy, crabby, hungry,  needing to pee - then they must take control of the situation and take 5 minutes to re-balance in order to be fully present to hear the singer who walks in next. 

Simply saying "My apologies, my blood sugar is taking a nose-dive and I have to take 3 minutes to chew some food" to a singer will NOT send you to hell!  In fact,  a singer recognizes you as HUMAN.  What a concept THAT is! 

THAT ROOM may be surreal but it's filled with many complex human beings.  Recognizing and honoring those complexities and respecting them and the process of being there would save us all a little angst,  a little grief,  and a little panic!

THAT ROOM is created by YOU.  Honor it,  don't despise it! 
Take the process seriously and learn how to giggle at yourself;  It adds a little more joy into how you got there in the first place!

Dear Singer...What is it about the Business?

Dear Singer,

First,  you have to identify the difference between making music and being an artist AND making a living making music.   You have to know how to separate those two.  They are not,  nor have they ever been the same.

There are rules that apply to each of those facts,  and you have to find them and acknowledge them and follow them.  You haven't done that yet or you wouldn't be feeling they way you are feeling.  Acknowledgement of rules,  prevents you from taking it personally.

Even if you were Equity,  the stats are 95%  unemployed at any given time.  This is BUSINESS of show.

You have chosen a profession that has a ridiculous unemployment rate.  You have to want it badly enough to stick to it.

Knowing how your voice works, or  how to be an actress and all the craft associated,  is NOT how the business works.  The two are not the same, nor do they necessarily go hand in hand.

You have to learn how the business works and the time it takes to figure out the game and how to play it.   You have to be prepared to be in this game long enough (sorry sweetie - 2 years is no time - or 6 months or even 5 years...)  to find out whether it's what you want to be bothered with long term,  or simply walk away and find another way to keep making music for your well being.

Just wanting something doesn't make it so.

We work not because we are good enough,  but because somebody thinks we are,  and sees us playing the game to their reasoning.

The game is often bullshit and it has NOTHING to do with craft or artistic integrity - but it is what has to happen in order to work.

So - prepare to learn the game.  That takes time. A lifetime really.  There are no assurances in this business.  None.

There are no answers but the ones you discover for yourself,  about yourself and about how you function or not, in the business.

The level of the business doesn't matter:  same game, just another day and another process.   Community theatre, regional professional theatre, Broadway - ARE ALL THE SAME.  The players and venue change.  The stakes may change.  Learning to play the game in the venue you are in is what the business is about.  Discover your game.  Play it.  Get good at it,  or walk away.

I am just trying to be honest with you.  The work you do on your artistic self will always be there;  don't misunderstand that.  Artistic self has NOTHING at all to do with BUSINESS self.

Learning the business,  learning the game,  and how you navigate those land mines - is up to you, and takes more time than you realize.  If our artistic selves continue to evolve and develop over a lifetime, then so,  do does knowledge of the business and the business self within the business of show.

Chin up!!! Your path is your path.


Accept it,  experience it,  walk it - or choose to walk elsewhere.  Wherever you,  BE THERE.  Fully, honestly, and completely.




Sending you good wishes,
Susan

What Makes a Lion a Lion?

I don't often write about my singers specifically.  I write about what I see they deal with, discover, and what themes seem to rise through a week - cause there is ALWAYS a theme if you are paying attention!

However, after seeing THE LION again last night,  in its off-Broadway space at the Lynn Redgrave Theater on Bleeker Street,  I had to write about Benjamin Scheuer.

I am honored to have worked with Benjamin as this transformative and incredible piece of theatre has developed and deepened and taken roots.  His story,  his voice called The Lion.

Sean Daniels,  an innovative director with sensitivity, humor & vision,  took the reins and created the framework with Benjamin and this collaboration began to spin magic everywhere it went.  Sean now takes the reins as Artistic Director at Merrimack Repertory and you will be hearing from him and about him for a very long time  I have no doubt.

THE LION has been roaring everywhere it has been, and even where it hasn't been seen, is being felt.

The New York Times has raved;  The Huffington Post has raved;  The West End has raved;  Audiences are moved and lives are changed.

Am I over-exaggerating?

No I am not.

The Lion is transformative.  It is about becoming a man.  It is about Benjamin becoming a man. It is intimate and honest, raw and poignant, holds humor and tears,  and reveals shadows and light.

It oozes the truth of artistry.  Benjamin Scheuer is an artist.

What makes an artist an artist?

You cannot teach someone to become an artist.  They are born with that DNA.  Some artists perform, some do not.  It is how they live their lives.  It is how they view life.  It is how they choose to mold their journey called life and how they find that path to journey.

I am always humbled when an artist walks through my door and asks for my input.  That is a gift beyond words.  It is a responsibility that demands my truth, my commitment and my full attention.

Benjamin has everything.  He doesn't take it for granted.  He works at his craft.  Every day.  His musicality is so organic it's part of how he breathes.  His craft has developed to the point that it is simply an extension of his body.  His guitar playing isn't playing - it is a physical manifestation of the artistic energy that vibrates through his being.  He writes for his voice, and he finds the colors and timbres and textures because he works on it EVERY DAY.

It takes time to find out how to play like yourself.  Benjamin speaks of that in the show.  And he does. He plays, he sings, he reveals, as artist, as man, as forever evolving human being.

He is an old soul.  His artistry is timeless.  His absolute love affair with his music is visceral.

While working on the set of The Lion,  where it is just Benjamin,  and all those beautiful guitars,  he introduced me to that set by saying:  "Look at those guitars Susan, now THAT is sexy."

His love affair with his music is timeless.  He can make those guitars sing like no one else.  They SING for him.

So what makes an artist an artist?

What makes a lion a lion?

What makes Benjamin Scheuer,  Benjamin Scheuer?

Finding it each and every day.  Living it each and every day.  Being honest with it each and every day.

That lion needs to learn to roar.  Every day.

The artistry of Benjamin Scheuer could never be taught.  It needed and needs nurturing and breath and vibration so it keeps creating and renewing and growing.  He knows how to do that,  where to find that,  who to surround himself with to challenge him to keep honing that artistry and the craft it manifests in.

True artistry is complex but it doesn't need to be complicated.  It just needs a medium that allows it be seen, felt and heard.

When it is real, it doesn't need flash pots or jazz hands or anything blowing up.  It just needs to be about something real;  needs to reveal something real;  needs to tell us a story that makes us feel.

When you are in the presence of a lion,  you stay still and take in the majesty.  It isn't about you.  It is about the magnificence of something larger than you are.

When you are in the presence of artistry, you stay still and take in the miracle, knowing it is larger than you are.

When you are in the presence of Benjamin Scheuer,  you recognize the artistry,  the man, the spirit, the humanity, the humor, the depth and the warmth that touches you.  You are still because you know an artist like this is rarely seen in a lifetime.

The Lion is Ben.  It is his story.  Yet his story is larger than he is.  His talent and artistry is larger than he even fathoms.  His humbleness reveals that.  

And all those components were recognized and nurtured, along with director Sean Daniels, to take stage and dare theatre to get back to the truth of telling a story that reveals truth, human nature, human complexities, life, death, fear, humor, possibility, humor, tears, and laughter. 

Benjamin Scheuer is the embodiment of a 21st century troubadour.  He weaves a story through haunting musical language, and lyrics that will find their way into music history, with his voice, and his hands on those guitars. It is integrated, it is organic, it is real.  THAT is timeless.

And what do I do as voice consultant?  I just get out of the way.  I tweak.  I suggest.  I quietly work with the organic through the physicality of breath and language to give an artist more access to what they already know to do.  I try to simply reflect them, so they can see themselves and embrace it even further.

What makes a lion a lion?

You can still experience that for yourself in New York City at the Lynn Redgrave Theater til March 29th.    And when it goes on tour if you are even somewhere close to where it's playing,  please go and have your life changed.  One of the real reasons we go to theatre:  to be challenged, and forever changed. 

It's 2015: MOVE!

Happy 2015!

What will it bring?

Or more importantly,  what do YOU bring to it?

I am not into regrets.  Or woulda-coulda-shouldas.  It keeps me locked into a place that doesn't let me move forward.

So claim NOW and look forward.

Let's play a game.  Try to answer with ONE WORD ONLY - you can always extrapolate later!
*****

What do you want?

What do you need?

Why?

What are you pursuing?

How are you pursuing it?

What does your artistic self crave?

What does your business self need?

What would simply give you contentment each day?

What makes you laugh?

What makes you frustrated?

What gets in your way?

What are the THREE words you are going to claim for 2015?


*******

Resolutions and regrets are not worth your energy.

Resolutions set you up for failure, and regrets keep you locked in place.

Move forward.  Move with purpose.  Move with integrity.  Move with balance.  Move with clarity.  Move with focus. Move with authenticity.

Just get moving!!  Great things happen when you know HOW to move,  WHEN to move,  WHERE to move. 

Trust your gut.  Trust your instinct.  Develop your intuition. 

Create an environment to move into and bring it with you!

Happy Solstice!

Today is Winter Solstice...

In the northern hemisphere it is the shortest day of the year.

I remember this day vividly as one of my Dad's favorite holidays.

Today I was able to spend time with Nelson Garzon - the angel I recently blogged about and so many of you were so generous to donate toward his condition,  hemangioma.  His was more advanced,  and began growing again in his late teens,  threatening to take his eyesight and his mouth.  He was able to find surgeons to begin laser surgery to stop it from spreading,  and from growing.  It is working!  Success has begun!

Nelson is a writer and poet - and is writing his memoirs of his experiences in America,  getting treatment for this condition,  and the people he meets.  He hopes he will meet a publisher who would be willing to publish it.  I would think a Spanish publishing company that could translate into English would be ideal.

I will keep accepting donations on Nelson's behalf choosetohelpnelson@gmail.com

If you are able to donate $10 or more,  and leave a message via paypal with your mailing address, I will send you a copy of my CD  "Taking My Turn" as my thanks for your donation!

I think that having an opportunity to share your gifts with Nelson today,  on this Solstice, is so fitting and special.

Solstice allows for stillness,  for reflection,  for anticipation of the birth of new possibilities...

I wish you nothing but wonderful possibilities,  an opportunity to discover the stillness to reflect on your achievements,  and the chance to explore more of what you dream of,  pursue and work toward.

Work,  dream,  discover,  share,  love, laugh,  SING!!!!

Happy Solstice!!!  Imagine,  have courage,  and DO IT!

Nelson and me!!