-
Things Professional Singers are Tired of Hearing
Every singer has heard at least one of these things. Let’s have a laugh! A: “I’m a musician!” B: “What instrument do you play?” Yep. I’m sure we’ve all heard this one. We introduce ourselves, or maybe answer a question about our occupation, and everyone defaults to instrumentalists. Even at auditions, while I was wearing a tag reading “Voice/Soprano” I would get asked this question. Singers are musicians too! Lots of us play other instruments, can read music, compose, arrange, and more! Our primary “instrument” just happens to be our voice! B: “Oh, you can sing?” *Imitates an opera singer by singing an obnoxiously off-tune high note*. “Do you sing…
-
Performing Arts Skills are Transferrable
Has anyone ever told you that you won’t be able to get a job with your music skills? Ever heard of the “starving artist” trope? Well, whoever came up with those ideas clearly wasn’t an artist because there are so many skills that you learn as a performing artist that are applicable to other jobs. Before my freshman year at university, I had never worked a non-music related job, with the exception of some non-paid volunteer work. I was convinced that no one would hire me because I hadn’t had a “real” job before. Then, I remembered that many of my skills that I had acquired from years of performing…
-
Music School During a Pandemic- How Covid-19 Did and Didn’t Affect My Freshman Year
The performing arts are, and have always been, some of the most hands-on skills out there, often requiring physical contact between instructors and students, students together, and with shared equipment, often in large groups with even larger audiences. Music students share pianos and breathe into instruments, sing into open air. Sometimes we share mallets, and we definitely aren’t hauling around personal marimbas. In a dance classroom, two dancers practice a lift while their teacher spots them. Somewhere on stage, actors are playing an improvisation game where two students hold hands. In a studio, a professor presses on the back of a student, applying pressure to encourage a deeper breath. Suddenly,…
-
First Year of Music School Complete!
It is incredible to think that I have finished my first year of music school, all during a global pandemic. It feels like just yesterday I was moving into my dorm room, holding on to my mother’s arms and hesitant to start life on my own, almost ten hours away from my hometown. Now look at me! One year done, and I’m feeling sentimental. I will only be a college freshman once. I learned so many things about myself this past year. For instance, I learned that I really don’t like dill, and unfortunately, the dining hall puts that stuff on everything. Second, cleaning out the lint trap is essential.…