Happy New Year
Sorry I’m a bit late in posting the first blog of 2019. I’ve been busy writing a school workshop piece, that we will be taking to schools local to me in April as part of the Hinckley Opera Festival. I will be letting you all know about that as we get nearer! Exciting times ahead...
But today I wish to talk about luck. Over Christmas a colleague of mine bemoaned his bad luck on Facebook, and posited the notion that were he to be a little luckier, his career would be much more successful.
Sorry, but that’s nonsense. There really is no such thing as luck, and until we realise that we will never take control of our singing. Let me be clear-I am only talking about singing and career here. I have a couple of dear friends who have been dealt horrid health blows. This post will not be a ‘Positive Singing Cures Cancer’ Post!
With that out of the way, back to luck. The famous quote-the more I practice the luckier I become’ is so true that any young striver should tattoo it to their irises. Nobody gets anything for nothing. Even those who seem to just walk into dream roles, seemingly with little effort are creating the chances themselves. Those who audition us singers tend to be a little dim. They are almost as nervous as us, because if they make a mistake and cast the wrong singer they look bad. The pressure to choose the best singer is alleviated when a confident soul steps up and says to them-empathetically-here I am. I’m the one you want.
So luck is linked to confidence. Or rather replaced with. But confidence-how many singers come for lessons that have ‘problems’ with confidence. They say-‘Oh, if I was more confident, the things I could achieve!’ But is confidence something you can get from TKmaxx, pick it up from Aldi? Nope. It’s earned by working, improving and KNOWING your improvement. Back to Arnold Palmer’s quote about practice.
But if I’m confident, folk will think me arrogant. No they won’t. Unless you are arrogant. If you’re good, and know you’re good then accept you’re good. The worth of us as singers depends on two things-how our voices work, the beauty and security and size of them. Of this we can be totally straight with ourselves without arrogance. Do I have a good secure tone? Yes or no.
The second part of being a good singer is the ephemeral. Our souls give us that special quality to emote and touch others. It’s how good we are as people, deep inside. About this we can’t publicly have an opinion. We can only hope the goodness from our hearts wins through.
For a few years I went into auditions reasonably confident of the second part, and hopeful of the first. That wasn’t so good for me. Never audition for a role unless you know you’re going to be able to sing all the notes 99 times out of 100. Otherwise you will fail, and blame bad luck when really you didn’t prepare.
I was at college with some singers and actors who have had astonishing successes in their careers. All of them seemed (looking back) to be so sure of their futures, so totally fixed on their journeys. They knew THEMSELVES. Knew what they stood for as artists. I know they’ve all faced knock-backs and hardships, yet have been able to get back on track. Actors in particular sometimes appear to be in the right place at the right time. But (and I hope some of my old acting pals don’t hate me for saying this), the right students got the right careers. Looking back.
Because there is ALWAYS a reason why. Why is so-and-so successful, and so-and-so not. I know lots of singers whose voices are worthy of higher honours. I’ve had long chats with them, listening as they bemoan their understudying/choral singing fate. And secretly, inside I’ve always been able to see ‘why’. Even when it’s nothing to do with the voice there’s always a reason. Some do get a leg-up, the old school tie etc. But it only takes them so far.
We get what we deserve. We make our own paths and write our own chapters. We use our own cliches.
Those who know themselves, know where they wish to get and how to get there-they are the ones who succeed. It’s simple really.
Sorry I’m a bit late in posting the first blog of 2019. I’ve been busy writing a school workshop piece, that we will be taking to schools local to me in April as part of the Hinckley Opera Festival. I will be letting you all know about that as we get nearer! Exciting times ahead...
But today I wish to talk about luck. Over Christmas a colleague of mine bemoaned his bad luck on Facebook, and posited the notion that were he to be a little luckier, his career would be much more successful.
Sorry, but that’s nonsense. There really is no such thing as luck, and until we realise that we will never take control of our singing. Let me be clear-I am only talking about singing and career here. I have a couple of dear friends who have been dealt horrid health blows. This post will not be a ‘Positive Singing Cures Cancer’ Post!
With that out of the way, back to luck. The famous quote-the more I practice the luckier I become’ is so true that any young striver should tattoo it to their irises. Nobody gets anything for nothing. Even those who seem to just walk into dream roles, seemingly with little effort are creating the chances themselves. Those who audition us singers tend to be a little dim. They are almost as nervous as us, because if they make a mistake and cast the wrong singer they look bad. The pressure to choose the best singer is alleviated when a confident soul steps up and says to them-empathetically-here I am. I’m the one you want.
So luck is linked to confidence. Or rather replaced with. But confidence-how many singers come for lessons that have ‘problems’ with confidence. They say-‘Oh, if I was more confident, the things I could achieve!’ But is confidence something you can get from TKmaxx, pick it up from Aldi? Nope. It’s earned by working, improving and KNOWING your improvement. Back to Arnold Palmer’s quote about practice.
But if I’m confident, folk will think me arrogant. No they won’t. Unless you are arrogant. If you’re good, and know you’re good then accept you’re good. The worth of us as singers depends on two things-how our voices work, the beauty and security and size of them. Of this we can be totally straight with ourselves without arrogance. Do I have a good secure tone? Yes or no.
The second part of being a good singer is the ephemeral. Our souls give us that special quality to emote and touch others. It’s how good we are as people, deep inside. About this we can’t publicly have an opinion. We can only hope the goodness from our hearts wins through.
For a few years I went into auditions reasonably confident of the second part, and hopeful of the first. That wasn’t so good for me. Never audition for a role unless you know you’re going to be able to sing all the notes 99 times out of 100. Otherwise you will fail, and blame bad luck when really you didn’t prepare.
I was at college with some singers and actors who have had astonishing successes in their careers. All of them seemed (looking back) to be so sure of their futures, so totally fixed on their journeys. They knew THEMSELVES. Knew what they stood for as artists. I know they’ve all faced knock-backs and hardships, yet have been able to get back on track. Actors in particular sometimes appear to be in the right place at the right time. But (and I hope some of my old acting pals don’t hate me for saying this), the right students got the right careers. Looking back.
Because there is ALWAYS a reason why. Why is so-and-so successful, and so-and-so not. I know lots of singers whose voices are worthy of higher honours. I’ve had long chats with them, listening as they bemoan their understudying/choral singing fate. And secretly, inside I’ve always been able to see ‘why’. Even when it’s nothing to do with the voice there’s always a reason. Some do get a leg-up, the old school tie etc. But it only takes them so far.
We get what we deserve. We make our own paths and write our own chapters. We use our own cliches.
Those who know themselves, know where they wish to get and how to get there-they are the ones who succeed. It’s simple really.