Now Playing -
nothing.
Now Eating -
nothing.
Now Feeling -
sleepy.
Now Tweeting
- Melanie
I know, what's with this "writing every two weeks, if that" thing? This entry has been sitting around for at least a week-and-a-half. There's no excuse.
And now, a belated installment of How to Tick Me Off: New Dean Edition - When I come into your office to tell you a student wishes to see you, roll your eyes at me. You're the head of Student Services. You get paid over $100K. Don't roll your eyes.
She'll be back on Wednesday (I know, I said sixteen days, but I lied. I do that sometimes.) I must say, the New Dean-Free Experience (Yes, yes I am Experienced � and thank you sir, may I have another?) has been pretty damn fabulous. Exams are next week. And I am SO not looking forward to them.
I love Patty Griffin. I own three of her albums, and from what I've heard I really should get the fourth. And after hearing this interview, I love her all the more.
"I just really need to sing and sing and sing, and not worry about writing. Just by singing for pleasure, your voice takes you to what it wants to sing. And that is how the best stuff emerges. It just pops right out."
The above quote is in reference to her writing process, but I think that in a way it applies to performance as well. I never made more progress in singing (extra
curricularly, I mean) than during the summer between junior and senior years in college. I was taking a class at a nearby university, and every day during my commute, I would sing in the car. I'd made a two-hour long cassette of showtunes of all ranges, and would just sing along on the way there and back. And I came back to school stronger than I'd ever been. It was a good feeling. So to turn Patty's saying on its side a bit, I think by singing and singing the stuff you
want to be able to sing, your voice (IF you are vocally healthy, have a minimum of bad habits and don't push your voice beyond its limits) finds a way to make the sounds you want to make. I broadened my range just by doing that. This is in no way a substitute for proper technique, mind you. Being unable to do what you want with the notes you have at your disposal doesn't really get you anywhere.
"Well, I turned forty a couple of years ago and...if there's something about doing what I do for a living it's - you do start getting the brush-off...I mean a lot of women entertainers, actors, musicians talk about it. But I do think it's all in your head - you can accept that perception of your self that you�re getting too old to be interesting or viable or you can kind of do what you do and see what happens."
I was cast in a show recently. It's a
really good role, but one I hadn't seen myself playing for another ten to fifteen years. And in a year where I'd not been cast in at least two shows because I'm suddenly "old" (even though I'm
still in my thirties, gawddammit), to be suddenly old
enough to do this role is disconcerting. But I'm not going to look at it that way. In keeping with
The Year of Why Not? I am asking myself "Why Not challenge yourself? Why Not do something you couldn't see yourself doing just yet, and make it your own? Why Not have the faith in yourself that others seem to have?" I'm going to do what I do, and I can't wait to see what happens.
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a very fine cat indeed - Friday, Jan. 17, 2014
happy new year! - Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013
this is where i am - Saturday, Jun. 30, 2012
this is how it is - Friday, Feb. 24, 2012
a very late last year's wrap-up - Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012
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