SINGING & SELF
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Singing in Isolation, Part VIII
Keeping Still
Some days it's about all we can do to keep our heads above water. Other days, we feel an inkling of hope. Often it's in the stillness that we are able to hear the voice of truth inside of us. I heard a quote last night that resonated with this very message: "The way...
(not) Singing in Isolation
Part VII: Rest Assured
Will it ever end? That's the $24,000 question. And not just if, but how? One thing seems for sure, though: Rest is Assured (that is, if we are able to quiet all that inner turmoil). We are being asked to upend all of our routines, let go of many of the things that...
Singing in isolation,
Part VI: Digging Deep
The courageous task of grabbing the figurative spade and plumbing the depths of inner feelings often means charting new territory, an expedition that feels terrifying in and of itself. But what I am realizing is that in this new context, while such anxieties may be real, they are irrelevant…
Singing in isolation, Part V: Hibernation
I feel like I am in vocal hibernation. But perhaps it’s only hibernation from the sort of “diligent practice” that I try to model for my students, the kind of practice that is set on some sort of performance goal…
Singing in isolation,
Part IV: Ring your bell
Week 4 of isolation. The days blend into one another. As one wag wrote recently: “it’s the eleventy-seventh blursday of bejebuary”*. How do we even know what day or time it is? And why does it matter? I basically gave myself permission this week to not obsess anymore about why I wasn’t practicing…
Singing in isolation,
Part III
This week it’s been tough to stay on track. I’m trying to be patient and compassionate with myself, because I realize that what I am feeling is grief. A student sent me a link to an article on this very topic, and I cried when I read it; I knew that this was exactly what I was experiencing…
Singing in isolation, part II
At first I didn’t really want to sing at all. I couldn’t bear the routine of it, for one (the seeming “drudgery” of practice). But there was also the seeming futility of it. What good would it do anyone? And besides, I had no desire to investigate much beneath the surface. But this week, I began…
Singing in isolation
Three Decembers: My abandoned project The world feels a lot different this week than it did last, doesn't it? COVID-19 being declared a pandemic has sent many of us into a tailspin. Things that seemed secure are no longer givens. What might have been considered...
Buried treasure
Treasure in unexpected places (Photo: Kimberly Barber, 2020) This week I've been investigating what happens if I expect less and feel more. I've been willing to look into the dark corners of imperfection with the bright light of attention and discover where useful...
That’s how the light gets in
The cracks are where the light gets in (photo: Kimberly Barber, 2020) Hats off to Leonard Cohen. His "Anthem" has been ringing in my head this week as I think about all the many ways that singing can help us to shine a light into our darkness. Endeavouring to sing...
Upending the Practice
At the beginning of this week when I met with my students for our usual Monday group lesson (another teaching paradigm that Westney praises for its horizontal and experiential learning possibilities), we talked about ways we might turn around our practice. We talked about paying attention to the experience of it and challenging ourselves to be more experimental and playful, rather than being focused on routines and results…
The Beauty of Imperfection
The walls lead somewhere good (Celestun, 2020) We're hooked on being perfect. We filter our photos (especially our selfies). We pay big money for all kinds of "beauty" interventions--eyelash extensions, fake eyebrows (guilty!), peels, botox (just a little...
Heart Matters
My heart in my hand (photo: Kimberly Barber 2020) Well, it's Valentine's Day, and what better time to think about matters of the heart? The stuff of the heart has been themed on these pages before. No surprise, since singing is so connected to emotion--indeed, I would...
The Gift of You
Recently I participated in a workshop with the wonderful Leigh Graham, founder of https://fitforthestage.com . This highly experiential workshop consisted of many elements, but one of the biggest takeaways was something she calls “State as a Gift”. That is, centring in on the gift we wish to give as an artist to our audience.
