In the Buddhist teaching, Upajjhatthana Sutta, there are five remembrances for contemplation. The one I reflect on the most, by far, was best paraphrased by the late Thich Nhat Hanh: My Actions are my only true belongings. They are the…
Power, personal power specifically, is often defined as the ability to influence people and events. I don't disagree but the definition lacks a core. Power is not a veneer, it is not a lever or a conduit. What it is,…
Ritardando is such a lovely direction in music. It is a gradual slowing down. Aside from the dramatic affect, it also can teach us a lot about how to work on our singing. Singers (and speakers actually) are usually more…
I am in the midst of a move. Surrounded by boxes with just 5 days to finish before the movers arrive. This is my least favorite thing to do. However, this move has already taught me things. I am going…
Singers spend a lot of time listening to our own voices. In the best of circumstances, we also mark sensation in order to determine whether we are being efficient. We sense the quality of the flow and sound wave. Perhaps,…
You know that sneaking suspicion that you would be more productive, successful, happy if your body were healthier? How about that? These bodies are pretty amazing. Sometimes infuriating, but amazing. They are designed to persist, to be our transportation and…
Here in the Northeast, Spring has arrived. With it, more people are being vaccinated against COVID19 and many organizations are looking to what is next. It is a hopeful time. It is also one where the surge towards the future…
Take a breath. Without judgment or consideration for whether it is "good," take an0ther one. Breathe in as if you smell the most amazing thing and you want to take it all in. Better yet go find something amazing to…
When we think of breathing well. (some of you sadly don’t do this enough) we often jump to taking “deep” breaths. But, what if the that isn’t the point? What if, it is more important to take a “just right”…
Last week there was an interesting finding out of MIT indicating that COVID-19 is detectable in speech patterns (article here). This wasn't the first time we've heard of this potential as there are studies at Carnegie Mellon and in the…