Emily F. ER 16

Emily F. ER 16: A lot of us get trapped into thinking there's a magical formula that will solve all of our problems, be it about life or singing. As soon as we start building our practice around "Truths" we can lock into rigidity and sometimes, bad habits. Trying new things and feeling our way through our quest for excellence can bring about insights that are sudden, but real change takes time. We need to be confident in our own abilities, and our own intuition about which way to go. This is definitely true in voice, because while teachers may be able to hear and see what is going on, only the singer can feel what is happening in the body. We need to be able to trust our instincts about ourselves, with the support of great teachers, rather than throwing out our instincts to be replaced with the teacher's wisdom. 
Key concept: I need to trust my own wisdom, and be willing to try things from a different perspective. 
Making connections: I lock myself into "Truths" a lot. I think, "Well, that worked for me that day--I should just keep doing that!" Sometimes I rush myself into an artificial state of "good practice", but I'll skip steps that are important to the arrival at that good place. It's hard to realize that there's no single fix, no easy way to get to the desired destination but to keep going on a winding path there. This semester is feeling like a total roller coaster to me. I'm having a lot of aha! moments, but lots of frustration and discouragement as well. Some days I feel like I'm making lots of progress, and others I wonder if I'll ever improve. I just have to trust that the efforts I'm putting will make a difference, and enjoy the process.