Talk O’ Tuesdays!
Giving Birth…To New Art.
I used to call myself a ‘throat’. What did I mean by that? Well, I became so enamored with working out all my cumbersome vocal issues in my early years, that I had gained quite a bit of confidence in my singing/sight-reading skills just after my undergrad degree that I felt as if you could put any piece of music in front of me and I could sing it rather professionally for you. Was I marketable? I thought so…however, I noticed over time that what I was really good at was singing the old standards in my line of work: most any or all of the classical repertoire throughout the musical time periods from the earliest chant to modern classical composers; because, after all, that was what I was trained to do in my lofty college music degree program right?!
We-h-ell, let me tell you, this was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to running with the big dogs when I got out into the real world…academia vs. art is like what is at times said about the battle between science vs. religion (no matter what your views are on THAT topic)…it can show you the how, but does very little for the why. And that is what I learned out in the real world, people want the connection and want to be changed in some way, whether they know it or not…singing a beautiful piece of music can do just that, but only if you reach beyond the rudiments one learns in a degree program and seek the truth in the music. When I referred to myself as a throat, I thought that was all I needed and people should want to hire me to sing for them….boy was I wrong!
There is a lot that aged music can do for the spirit, especially if it is the famous golden standards that are performed in concert halls around the world…but to truly be an artist, well, at least in this artist’s opinion, you need to reach beyond the ‘throat’, so to speak, and dig for truth and meaning, and, again in my opinion, nothing helps you do just that as a singer then a brand spanking new piece of music, fresh out of the minds of a collaborative effort with composers who are inspired to write music for you.
Singer/songwriters know what what I’m talking about here…as a singer, if you ever have the distinct honor of working with those who are skilled at putting pen to (staff) paper, and better yet, are inspired by you to do so in the attempts to bring new art into the world, NEVER pass that opportunity up. This is one of the greatest honors you could ever have bestowed on all the hard work and dedication you have put into honing your vocal skills, and is a major tourist stop along your vocal journey…OWN IT! Be as benevolent as you can as only great art can come from a place of genuine generosity and collaboration. Do everything you can to support, encourage, and cultivate the genesis of a fledgling musical project as you never know where that new art’s journey will take it, OR you! Self-exploration and discovery is the name of the game here…and you never know what aspect of your life will be forever changed by this type of work.
If you have a story of being at ground zero of the birth of new art and/or bringing new art into the world and cultivated it’s growth giving it wings to soar, we want to hear all about it. Please share your story here…help others learn from your experiences, good or bad. Not every piece of new music has a successful journey, and even those stories could help us learn how to navigate the do’s and don’ts of parenting/championing new art into existence. We’d love to hear from you…remember, sharing is caring!
