SINGING & SELF
BLOG
New tricks
Four Aces: Yasss I'm rewriting my course syllabus. This task, usually fairly straightforward, with a few revisions each time--some larger, some smaller--seems monumental this year. I feel like I need to rethink it all. Here's the thing: Sometimes those of us who have...
Time out
I'm taking a much needed time out for the next ten days, so won't be posting until July 30th again. I'm going to settle in to the state of mind at the bottom of my Apple Watch: NO MORE EVENTS. I'm going to hang with my family, indulge in afternoon naps, journal when I...
Me and my uke
My new friend, the ukulele (July 2021) Funny how doing something new can give you an enlarged perspective. Last week, I was the lucky recipient of a new ukulele (on loan) from my colleague, Deanna Yerichuk, coordinator of the undergraduate concentration in Community...
Cry, my beloved country
Canada Day 2021: Reversal It's hard to reflect on much else today besides #the215 #the182 and #the 751. We know there will be many more; Indigenous folk have been telling us the same for decades. Why were we not listening? But now our eyes, ears and hearts are open...
Improvising my way back home
I started practicing again this week. It felt scary and unfamiliar because I had left it for a while, but I thought I'd find my way back to it by doing some vocal improvisation--something that doesn't come naturally to me. It's not that I don't like it, just that it...
The voices of #the215
This week has been so full of pain. As an artist, a singer, a storyteller by craft, I feel compelled to call upon the stories, the voices of #the215 children lost to the horrendous legacy of residential schools in our country. We now know that these children are just...
Giving and receiving
My apple tree, the "Old Girl", having received a perfect pruning (thanks, C!) weeks before, gives leaf and blossom (April 2021) This week I've been spending time pondering giving and receiving. Singing is the ultimate generous act. We give of our breath, our heart,...
To every thing, there is a season
Dreams of June (taken June 2020) One of my friends loves to quote that passage from Ecclesiastes, and it feels appropriate right now. The season is spring--that beautiful time when life begins to burst forth again (less fun for the pollen sufferers, of which I am one,...
The Miracle of Spring
Cherry tree in full bloom, Grand River Trail, Kitchener, ON, May 13, 2021 This year spring feels more like a miracle than I ever remember. This long year of on-and-off lockdowns, of missing people, performances, community and connection is giving way to an inkling of...
Practicing what I preach
Photo Kimberly Barber, February 14, 2021 As I consider the end of the academic year and all that I've learned and experienced, I am reminded to practice what I preach. I'm preparing some conference presentations that are culminations of what I've gleaned, as well as...
Treading Water
Photo by Alice Philipp @AliceTookMyPicture Quite honestly, this past week (and the next few days) is about treading water. I’m trying not to expend excess energy fighting the current, and now and then surrendering to the power of the waves that might otherwise engulf...
The earth beneath our feet
As this academic year draws to a close--a year like no other, it must be stated--I'm contemplating what grounds and connects us as humans and as singers. My students are preparing their final projects, demonstrating the incredible growth they have all experienced...
Opening new doors
One of the things I love about teaching singing is the joy of a sudden inspiration that leads to insight. Today I taught a lesson in which my student and I just explored the taste of vowels. This journey began with a simple question: What are you curious about today?...
It’s all about community
Artistic process is messy and creatives need community to thrive. Like these bluebells just emerging from the leaf mulch, pushing their way through the newly thawed earth, artists thrive in community, drawing their energy from one another. One thing my students have...
