Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Working hard/Hardly working

I had the very distinct pleasure of driving into the middle of Washington yesterday during rush hour! Something I would avoid at all costs for anything or anyone other than my coach GC. And, well, we all know I'd do just about anything for an audition.

I worked so hard in that session that afterwards I could barely drive myself home, and it didn't help that I get lost in her labyrinth of a building EVERY single time I go! So I wander around for several minutes before I run into someone who takes pity on me and tells me how to get out.

There are a couple of weird little habits I have when I'm singing that are similar to the histrionics pianists often employ when performing: as GC would say, "you're waving about again." I shift my weight from foot to foot, or move my head at crucial moments, when I really need to be standing straight for the sake of my sound. So I've been trying to correct it with both my teacher TH and GC watching me like a hawk at all times. All of you that are singers know how incredibly DIFFICULT it is to change habits like this when you've spent pretty much your whole life inadvertently ingraining it in yourself. It takes some pretty intense concentration. ALSO, she is encouraging me to do something else that is already de rigeur for most singers: record the coachings and force myself to listen to them. OHHHH it is so painful. I have been avoiding it as long as possible, but now it's time to stop.

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