Why are you here?
It’s a question I ask every potential client and one that I return to over and over again. A lot of people sing, but it takes an extra level of dedication to decide to really train and study voice. The reasons for making this commitment are many. Some are seeking to prepare for college auditions, others are launching solo careers, some are taking up a new hobby in retirement while others are driven by a desire to simply learn about themselves. Some singers are motivated to be the best they can be so they can contribute to a group (that community or church choir or that musical theatre company), others train to find their personal best – training to be better than they were last week or training to maintain that instrument through the middle career and well into the sunset years. No matter what the motivation, the answer is almost inevitably universal – ‘because I have to’.
Singers aren’t made we are borne. Something in each one of us whispers gently or loudly roars – you have something to share. Whether you are sharing that voice in a Puccini Aria, on stage at the Schubert Theatre or in the context of next weeks’ Spotify release, a singer never feels whole without the act of singing. I often wonder if it is the community that a singer builds around her art that makes it so important? Could it be the amazing power one feels when you really nail a high note? How about that feeling of accomplishment that comes from besting your stage fright and finding your zone in the middle of a performance? I would suspect that it is all of these reasons and more.
If we are seeking a universal answer, I would look deeper – at the level of the soul. Admittedly, that is a domain far above my pay grade, but I can’t help but notice just how universal singing is to culture and spirituality. After all, Every major religious tradition has elements of chant and singing in their liturgies and practices. There is just something in the art of singing that inspires the transcendent and connects humanity.
Sitting here in the midst of the Covid Pandemic, I am struck especially by a great loss. Choirs have been silenced, stages remain empty. Yet, I am inspired by the ingenuity of my singers and colleagues. We are all finding new ways to create music and share our voices. 9 months ago, I never taught a single voice lesson online. All of my teaching was done at the University or in my home studio. My clients were limited to those within driving distance to my Southern California hamlet. Now I meet with clients from across the country all day – ZOOMing in for private sessions, and even using my YouTube videos to train and pass along to their students. Prior to Covid, singing together meant physically being in the same place at the same time making music simultaneously. Now my singers are working on group projects that they are recording and editing together in Logic, Protools or Garage Band. They are making virtual choirs and participating in virtual musicals and singing Sunday services online. While none of this is a real substitute for in-person interaction, there are some amazing lessons to be learned. I thought at the outset of Covid, I would be seeing less singers coming in and out of my studio doors. It is just the opposite. It seems that for many people Covid has offered them an opportunity to slow down, take stock and make room for something that feeds their soul – singing. As Jason Robert Brown says “The wise woman does what she knows. If it’s fighting, she fights, if it’s sewing, she sews.”
I continue to hope for a quick resolution to the devastation of the covid pandemic and pray for the recovery of all those effected by this horrible virus. In this dark hour, I am grateful for the collaborative opportunities and the lessons I have not only taught, but learned. I continue to be amazed by the power of music. There is no silencing the human voice. Even in the most isolating times, a singer’s gotta sing.