Are you a big fish in a small pond, or a wee fishy in Lake Michigan? The real question is, what do you want your work to be? If you feel like a small fish, you’re in danger of working (and sounding) like one more often than you’d like to admit. If you believe you’re … Read more
This is not a post about romance. But it might be about loneliness. Don’t worry, dear Listers – I’m fine. No cry for help here. But I’ve been keenly aware lately that the pandemic has left a lot of very creative people adrift, and even now that the light is shining through the clouds, there … Read more
Can a challenge for Indigenous Peoples’ Day give you an excuse to learn something new about our world?
[Editor’s note: Kirk Averitt is a conductor, vocalist and educator and is relatively new to the Listerhood. He has brought us some intriguing ideas and different ways to think about singing. Here, Kirk shares some of his recent experiences with yoga and chakra theory. We encourage you to join in the conversation by commenting below. … Read more
My mother loves owls, which I have always thought rather apt. She is a very wise woman. Of course, she thinks she’s completely ordinary, which just makes her insights into the rest of the world more potent. So here’s a quote — not because I love my mommy (which I do), but because she reminded … Read more
Sometimes a missed opportunity becomes a new challenge on its own. With the recent and sudden death of composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski, those of us in SoCal have proximal reason to mourn, as the titan was scheduled to be part of Piano Spheres’ upcoming season, and it would have been my first chance to … Read more
In honor of all the re-opening excitement and the summer rebirth opportunity that faces us all, we’re again offering our “Using This Time” intro webinar on three separate dates in July. This is just the kick in the butt that some of you will need, particularly if you’re feeling a little lost and unfocused when … Read more
As technology continues to become more manageable and brings marketing options to millions of people, everyone has a voice of their own. After years of pondering, we’ve launched our own Singerpreneur Podcast, which is an extension of the blog and is now available on all major channels and quite a few more. Look for us … Read more
As we head into what we hope to be the last several months of the arts shutdown, we cross fingers and toes, WEAR OUR MASKS and think of stages and lights and singing together again. But simply waiting can take a toll on creativity, so I offer you a challenge, if you haven’t done it … Read more
I have a sad tale that many musicians share: I once lost ten years’ worth of digital recording files due to the unexpected failure of an external hard drive. I had chosen carefully, protected the drive from the usual threats (heat, surge, virus, etc.), and it was only about three years old, which is about … Read more
