Habits, Exercises, Resources- and a VACATION!
Rehearsal Notes July 17th Edition
Welcome to Rehearsal Notes, a 5-part weekly publication highlighting the things that have inspired me and the lessons I’ve learned on and off-stage. Each Rehearsal Notes edition has a singing or career tip for you to try out during your week - find it in the Voice Note section. I hope it brings you joy and actionable tools for your own creativity!
What I’m Watching
Maybe it’s the small mountain of music staring at me that needs learning, but this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about habits. I feel like there’s something in the air (Theaterferein?) because so many of you have also messaged me about my habit tracking techniques in the 30 Days of Vocal Exercises. It’s made me realize: I’ve got some serious opinions on singing and habits. (Apparently I’ve been outed as type-A. Fine. I’ll own that.)
This video popped back into my brain because it nails something I keep coming back to: the idea of getting just 1% better every day. James Clear is technically talking to athletes and high performers here- but honestly, musicians are both.
TBH- I’ve read the book. It’s popular and the ideas are good but…meh. So if you want the TL;DR version, just watch this.
What’s Itching My Brain:
Habits, obviously. But maybe not the way you think.
Most of the conversation around habits is centered on self-improvement: working out, brushing your teeth - or if you’re me, grabbing a coffee the moment you roll out of bed.
But I want to talk about habits in a different way - especially when it comes to singing. What James Clear is really talking about is routine. Like a warm-up. A step-by-step. But what if we take it further? What if we break habits down into all the tiny, minuscule moments that make up the act of singing?
Think about a golf swing. It’s one motion - but it’s also dozens of micro-actions firing off in a sequence. The swing becomes a habit that’s build slowly and intentionally.
I think our vocal use is no different. Phonation is habitual. We understand this natually when it cones to speaking: we think a thought, and then we just say it. It’s how we say it is driven by habit. And practicing the how is exactly what singing is.
I want to leave you with a little clip about this from The 30 Day Vocal Exercise Challenge (hot tip: use the code SUBS5 for a discount as a hug thank you for being a subscriber):
Voice Notes
If you’ve been subscribed since the beginning - or you follow me over on IG - then you already know I’m passionate about putting together actionable resources from what I’ve learned (and keep learning) from the stage.
Whether you're a young professional singer or just trying to make your singing practice better, I’ve found it’s helpful to occasionally index everything in one place - a kind of reset button for tools, tips, and structure.
Some of what I’ve made is free. Some is paid. All of it comes from experience, trial-and-error, and a deep belief in the work we’re doing. That and over 300 performances, over 30 roles, and 7 seasons as a fest singer… (and I’m still alive…I think)
The Art of Following Up & The Fear Setting Exercise for Musicians
30 Day Vocal Exercise Challenge (Includes the Practice Journal Method)- use discount code SUBS5 as a big thank you for subscribing!
Free Digital Practice-Habit Tracker (yo this resource is NEW and I made it using what’s called vibe coding based on the principles of practice in the Practice Journal Method. Test it out and tell me what you think!
The 5$ Instagram Guide for Classical Musicians
The Getting Started in Germany Online Course - If you want to build a career in Germamy but don’t know where to start, this course is for you. It covers everything from agents and how to contact them, to auditioning, fest vs. guest work, language resouces, a list of useful competitions, and immigration/visa questions.
Performance Schedule
Honest, my BIGGEST update is that my 2024/25 season ended YESTERDAY! So I am officially on a much needed vacation! But don’t worry- the work has already begun for next season. Here’s what I have coming up:
September 5th- La Traviata as Violetta- Daegu Opera House, South Korea
September 6th- Gala Concert with pianist Giuseppe Barile- Daegu Opera House, South Korea
September 27th- A Night at the Opera Konzert with the Badisches Staatstheater
October 4th- Premiere of Rameau’s Les Borèades in the role of Sèmire
As always- if you’re in the audience- WRITE ME :)
