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Speak Up to Sing Out
“To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters who hear the music bubbling within, please speak up. We need to hear your voices.” These words were the backbone of composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s acceptance speech at the 2020 Oscars—she being the fourth woman ever to win an Oscar for Best Film Score and the first since 1997. The clarity and courage behind this intention was likely hard fought. Forged out of no longer being able to bear the weight and consequence of not speaking up. The next morning, I woke up to several social media posts from female colleagues quoting Guðnadóttir. Her words resonate with anyone who…
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Time Flies when Time Lies
Lies about time. Maybe you have told a few? “I’ll never have this prepared in time.” “I couldn’t find any time to practice this week!” “It takes me so long to learn music.” or the people-pleaser’s signature self-sabotage: “Sure I’ll do it, I have plenty of time.” These seemingly small slips in our integrity may be the root cause of the anxiety, frustration, and shame that gets kicked up when working against a deadline. I believe that we can spare ourselves all of this drama by striving to make our relationship with time less abstract. In accounting for it honestly. By replacing the stories we tell ourselves about our productivity…
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Meeting Limiting Beliefs with Pliability
When coaching a voice student through self-doubt, I often allude to “limiting beliefs.” I’m borrowing this phrase from a larger zeitgeist—a quick Google will show you how prolific this concept is. The semantics of “limiting beliefs” reveals both the poison and the antidote. Limiting quantifies the cost of self-doubt to our potential, while belief suggests that a shift in mindset is possible. I recently joined a workout that is a combination of yoga and aerobics—many of the exercise sequences incorporate use of a mini-trampoline. The class is rigorous and the element of bouncing is equal parts exhilarating and intimidating. I often catch myself thinking two things: “man, these other women…
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Welcome to The Vocal Precisionist
Hi! I’m Sarah, a singer and voice teacher. I’m forever curious about vocal technique and view singing as both a microcosm of life, and a reflection of our whole self. My hope is to make vocal technique more accessible, in part by making these connections. Here is what I know: As singers, we are entitled to both beauty and ease. The proverbial grind, however seductive, never results in our most exquisite vocalizing, or satisfying expressions of self. Our work as artists can be deep without being depleting. I promise. I’ve observed in my students and colleagues that the common foil to obtaining ease is perfectionism. As someone who used to…
