SINGING & SELF
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Communication matters
Communication matters (sourced on Snappa.com, November 2024) As it turns out, communication matters. A lot. When you work in collaborative settings, toggling between duties, negotiating with other leaders, what you say must be clearly communicated, and often. Our...
Feels like crossing over
Lion King Rehearsal with Vox and Opera Laurier students (K. Barber, October 2024) We've always had students at Laurier who loved music theatre first. This love was, once upon a time, tolerated (barely), but never nurtured. The times, as they say, are a'changin'. This...
Identity Politics
Identity (sourced at Snappa.com, October 24, 2024) It's been a while, friends. In fact, it's been 5 months. Not that I've not had things to say, just not enough bandwidth to commit them to the blogosphere. In fact, today's topic is something that's been ruminating for...
Shame spirals, part 2
"shame on you" (sourced on Snappa.com, May 24, 2024) Since I started on this topic last week, I've had more time to reflect on these shame narratives in my singing life. One of the most persistent shame stories is that my voice was not "big enough". In case those who...
The price of shame
The price of shame (self-portrait, Kimberly Barber, May 16, 2024) Shame is something that comes up regularly in voice work, particularly with folks who identify as "non-singers". It's pretty much a guarantee in the workshops I give, that someone or other will confess...
Feel, sing.
What appears to be true is that the spontaneous NEED to communicate originates before cognitive thought. So before our analytical mind is even aware of the impulse, our intuitive side wishes to break into song! (basically…)
Singer’s mind
Think about that just for a second: through singing, through music, we evolved in community to mutual benefit. Let’s remind ourselves of this the next time we’re tempted to posit that what we do has no value…
Friction Point
…the moment of friction [comes] in advance of doing something that we feel averse to, but know will make us feel better, stronger and more accomplished if we persevere. This feeling of “friction” is really where our desire for personal comfort and our will to challenge ourselves to do hard things butt up against one another…
This is what growth looks like
Hannah Piercey (Baker's Wife) & Roland Kessler (Baker), Opera Laurier, Into the Woods 2024 (photo by @kaelaboschcaptures) I don't often single out individual students in this column, but every now and again, it's important to acknowledge significant achievements....
Intention. Conviction.
Alison Crockett (aka MsDivaBlu) and KB riffing at Shenandoah CCM Institute, July 2023 We have the great joy this week of hosting Jazz Diva Alison Crockett, aka MsDivaBlu, at Laurier Music. Talk about sending out Black History Month with a bang! I first met Alison last...
Listen up
Listen up (sourced on Snappa. com, Feb. 8, 2024) When considering listening, I need to be mindful of what I say and how I say it. It's so easy to imagine our thoughts and ideas are being clearly communicated, because we understand what we mean. But each one of us...
Baby vs. Bathwater
Baby vs. Bathwater (sourced on Snappa.com, Feb. 1, 2024) We hosted a guest voice class from one of our most prominent and successful alumni the other day, Jane Archibald (check her out! janearchibald.com), and she provided our students with some wonderful insights and...
Taking up space
All the colours of the rainbow (taken on Hallowe'en, October 31, 2023) This week a big theme in my voice studio has been allowing oneself to Be Large. Regardless of one's physical size, it's a fact that for many of us, the idea of taking up space is challenging....
When words are not enough
“singing, expressing through voice, seems to be the best way to get to the deepest stuff. Heartbreak deserves excavation and communication. And what better way to communicate than through sound, through song? David Whyte, in this short essay-poem on Heartbreak tells us that heartbreak is at the very essence of being human, a necessary component to our growth, our becoming…”
