Ruby Ann is SEVEN

Soon after being born, Ruby was held in the nursery and put on supplemental oxygen. Aleks would bounce between my room and the nursery, taking pictures and videos of Ruby to assure me she was doing ok. Other than a failed attempt at feeding while I was in recovery, it wasn't until 8 hours after the birth that I got to hold my girl Ruby.

I remember my doctor checking on me at one point in the afternoon and asking "Are you crying?" as I tried to mask the tears falling down my cheeks while he checked my blood pressure. I responded "I just want to hold my baby."

It wasn't long after, that a nurse came in and told me that she had been instructed to only to keep Ruby in the nursery until dinner time. After that, she was to be with me.

When I was in the hospital with Maia, I couldn't wait to go home. With Ruby it was different.

I knew as soon as I left there would be 2 little babies who needed me (Maia was 17 months). The hospital room service, nurses, and cleaning staff was such a luxury. It felt like a honeymoon. I think I slept with Ruby on my chest the entire stay.

 It was also Aleks' goatee phase...

Thankfully Ruby took it easy on us in the beginning. She slept well and nursed well and allowed us to figure out how to keep two little girls fed, dressed, and clean.

Every year, Ruby's personality blooms just a bit more, slowly showing us the kind of human she's becoming.

Ruby will always be my #1 taste tester. Quick to sense when there's a bowl to be cleaned or a beater that needs to be licked.

Ruby has an amazing sense of style. Perhaps the best way to describe it is boho-old lady patterns-pictures of animals-sassy/urban. She cares very much about her hair and already feels angst about having curly/wavy hair.

Ruby is one of the oldest kids in her class, which means she spent one year longer at home before heading off to kindergarten. Just two years ago, we were together all the time. The transition to kindergarten was hard, but now, I see an independence and confidence in Ruby that assures me she's doing just fine.

She and I have been through some tough times. Ages 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 were particularly challenging. However, Ruby and I are quite alike. I understood, more than anyone might guess, her emotional outbursts and angry door slamming. How gratifying it would be to give in to our emotions like that. It must feel good.

Because of Ruby, my well of patience has exponentially increased. Just when I'd think there isn't one more drop from which to pull, magically, I'd find my reserves had doubled. For that, I'm grateful.

Ruby didn't get her first tooth until she was 17 months old. Now they're beginning to fall out and her face has begun to transform and any signs of the toddler she once was are fading.

There are so many things I love about my second born: her humor, natural athleticism, her strong will, empathy, and so many others.

But, the thing I admire most about my seven year old, is her willingness to keep working at things that are hard. Often Ruby will try something new and struggle. And while I'm ready to give up, she'll keep plugging away, undiscouraged, and soon enough, becomes quite proficient.

I can't take credit for instilling that quality, I believe it's just an innate Ruby characteristic. And I'm so very grateful, because I have no doubt this little firecracker is going to make a positive impact on this world.

Happy birthday, my dearest.

5 Self Care Tips for Voice Teachers

I'm nearing 20 years (!) of private teaching experience, and while I'm still don't have it all figured out, there are several things I try to habitually follow to avoid burning out.

5. Set a time each night, after which you no longer respond to student texts/emails.
With all the glorious advances in technology, it is now easier than ever for students to have 24 hour access to their teachers. Sometimes it can be really wonderful. For instance, if you need a quick response about repertoire or lesson times, it's so handy to be able to text or FB message. However, those texts that come at 9:38 PM the night before a lesson, wondering where they can get the sheet music to the repertoire you assigned LAST WEEK (for which you also gave them the website/resources to find the music), those emails? Those can be pretty frustrating. I've learned that if I set a boundary, I do not allow myself to get sucked into a student's emergency brought on by procrastination and bad planning. Most teachers I know are very giving and generous with their time, so this may seem counterintuitive. However, for my sanity, it is helpful to have a designated time when I don't feel like I have to work.

4. Stay hydrated and nourished while teaching.
Due to my husband's work schedule and our family life, I often teach several looooooong days instead of a couple hours every day of the week. This means that I typically see 6-8 students in a row, before having a break. I've found staying on top of my hydration is paramount to keeping my energy up and my vocal health in tact. Similarly, having a handful of almonds or protein bar to eat between musical phrases often helps me maintain positivity when the 8th student in a row has forgotten their music.

3. Find supportive colleagues with whom you can share ideas/frustrations/concerns.
Too often voice teachers can be competitive with one another. I am so over that culture. There are enough voice students for everyone, we all have different approaches and personalities, and I'm confident enough in my teaching that I don't need to be threatened by a teacher who is also doing wonderful work. We teachers experience many of the same challenges and by sharing those frustrations, the possibilities for solutions exponentially increase. I'm so grateful to have several colleagues in my life with whom I can share my concerns and joys.

2. Continue to pursue outlets for your own artisty.
Students are so well served by a teacher who is pursuing their own creative endeavors. Not only is it a great example for them to see us practicing what we preach, but also it allows us to be "selfish" and feed our creative souls. So many of us enjoying performing or producing or directing and have to put those things to the side as the more financial stability of teaching becomes necessary. And once you've have something to show for your work, be sure your students get to see the fruits of your labor! I'm always surprised at the instant increase in esteem after a student has been to one of my performances.

1. Only work as hard as your student.
At the beginning of the summer I began to regularly see a therapist. I was burned out and had lost my way. Upon sharing my teaching frustrations, she stopped me and said, "Let me tell you what us therapists say to each other. It's the thing that keeps us from burning out and allows us to be effective in our patient's lives: only work as hard as your patient." This 7 word motto has changed my life. She went on to say that if we continually enable our student's/patient's behavior of not taking responsibility for changing, we are effectively robbing them of growth. In essence, the very thing we are trying to do is negated by our ernest behavior. I'm learning that I can be an empathetic, loving teacher while staying within the responsibilities of my role as teacher.

Teaching voice is hard and exhausting, but can be so very rewarding. Making sure to take care of yourself will help keep you energized, excited, and eager to be in the studio.

Mommy/daughter dates

A few years ago, our family started the tradition of having mommy/daughter dates in the weeks before school begins. My girls are so close in age, that they do everything together and sometimes I forget who they are as individuals. We all love these special days.

My girls are so funny. When we were talking as a family about what each girl wanted to do, they would both decide that they wanted to do the same things. However, once I had Ruby alone and gave her some options, our plans changed.

We went to All Start Sports which has carnival rides and mini golf. Ruby had never played before, but quickly got the hang of it and by the end of our second round, she was having a hard time waiting for me to get my ball in the hole.

Ruby has matured a lot this summer. She's still my fiery little peanut, especially when she doesn't understand something, but she's learning to communicate with words instead of tantrums and outbursts are becoming less frequent. She's at that wonderful age where she's not too self aware and as a result is unintentionally cute. The other day she said "You know what? Every year I get one year older!" 

Ruby is going to have a strong start to 1st grade. Her reading skills are quite good and she will often read in the morning before coming to get us out of bed. However, if you ask her if she likes reading, she'll say no. Ruby is a little fish in the water and learned how to dive this summer. She is often playing the piano, making up pieces to play and shows a real sensitivity to sound and color. She also says she doesn't like playing piano.

Ruby is the spice in our family; she adds flavor, dimension, and interest.

Once Maia heard that Ruby went to All Star Sports, that's where she wanted to go as well. Over lunch I suggested pedicures, Barnes & Noble, and ice cream. Maia immediately thought that was a great idea. I was excited not to stomach those rides again.

(Maia just whispered in my ear "Ruby has to learn that I can't spend every moment with her." I think they're ready for the autonomy school will bring.)

This summer Maia has been reading, reading, reading. She'll come down in the morning and lie on the couch with a book while Isabelle licks her legs. I don't know what it is about Maia, but Isabelle LOVES licking her.

Maia continues to be my even keeled kid. She's rarely moody, but just this summer has started to become a little secretive. I understand that blossoming need for privacy and hope I'm respecting it in the way she needs.

Maia is beyond excited to start school. She loves learning, which is something I will never take for granted. At this point she's interested in becoming the first scientist of the family, something of which Aleks and I are very supportive. Maia loves facts and is great at "mansplaining" things. For example, she's explained to us that people in China don't know what chocolate is and that our dog is the smallest in the world because she's a Chihuahua.

Today we were driving in the car and she had her arm sticking out the window. Maia said "I can tell this wind is from Mexico because we're driving south." We were in fact driving west and there was only a wind because the car was moving. I pointed this all out to my darling daughter and she thought for a bit and then confidently replied "Well, the wind is from the east. It's from some eastern part of  America."

Maia is the sugar in our family; she makes everything sweeter with her energy and infectious smile.

I keep reminding myself that this week I will need extra patience. As excited as we all are for routine and new beginnings, inevitably these changes come with some tension. However, all signs are pointing toward a wonderful school year.

Recording session, wrapped

My recording session for SHE has concluded. The past two mornings I've woken up with vague recollections of dreams with the phrases "cross fade" and "patch" repeating in my mind. I have so many things to say about this experience that I want to share with you, and yet I'm finding it hard to create any sort of cohesive narrative.

I will have forever etched into my memory, the scent of the windscreen; it's warm metallic aroma when my eyes were closed, lost in the music and my nose would nudge close: seeing my music through it with metal hash marks a filter over my score.

I didn't realize this recording project would be such an endurance sport. The preceding months of discipline (diet, sleep, exercise, practice) enabled my body/instrument to rise to the occasion.

I firmly kept at bay the worries that can overtake any singer. What is that tickle in the back of my throat? Why is my voice sounding tired? Is this headache from tension or the start of a cold? I did not allow those thoughts to take root and tried to keep my schedule and life as normal as possible. Drinking my coffee in the morning, allowing myself to sleep in a bit later than normal, but up by 8. Going to bed at the same time. Working out. No alcohol, no sugar. 

Before this week, I made sure to practice every day, building endurance. Those vocal folds are muscles, and I figured that I could condition them, the same way athletes train large muscle groups.

We pushed hard the first day, getting though the Heggie. We recorded for 4 1/2 hours, nerves and sheer grit getting us through. When I think about Amanda, I am amazed at her endurance. In the mornings she was leading a high school musical camp, teaching choreography and songs, then coming straight to these intense recording sessions. That first day was tough for both of us and there were moments that you could visibly see the exhaustion. However, I'm so glad we pushed as hard as we did. It eased some of the pressure for the remaining days.

On the second day we got through 8 of the 11 Gordon songs, using a full 4 hours. That morning I had woken up, unsure if I was really happy with some of the last few songs we had recorded the day before. After day 2, knowing what good shape we were in, I made the decision that I wanted to rerecord some of the Heggie on our last day.

We all approached day three feeling more relaxed and laid back. Everything had gone so well. I really felt grateful for the team that I had assembled and the room and piano were cooperating beautifully. We first rerecorded the Heggie songs that I had been unsure about and then finished up with the Gordon. We recorded for 3 hours and celebrated over drinks (finally!) that night.

Aleks was amazing this week and his contribution to the project were invaluable. He kept the house running smoothly, assumed all kid responsibilities, had dinner ready when I walked in the door utterly exhausted and starving, and let me sleep in the mornings.

The next step involves editing all the different takes into a seamless record. Carter, my engineer will do the first round of editing based off the notes from my producer, Jeff. During our session Jeff would slate each take and make notes of which measures we were performing. Then after we had captured each section at least three times ("3 takes to get 1" was a common phrase from Jeff), he would mark which take we liked the best and/or, which sections from which takes we liked so that in editing, Carter would know what do cross fade or patch in.

By making this edit map as we recorded, Jeff has saved me a lot of money and Carter a lot of time during the editing process. Thank you Jeff!

Once we have an edit and mix with which I'm happy, the digital files will be sent to PARMA for mastering. Simultaneously I'll be working with the design team on the cover and liner notes of the physical album.

Once we have a finished product, it will be manufactured and PARMA will send out advance copies to reviewers. The official release date is March 2018.

(I learned this week, that in order to get onto Billboard top 100 in the classical music genre, you really only need to sell 10-20 copies. I'd really like to make it onto that chart, so help me get the word out once this album is finished!)

I am so incredibly humbled and grateful that PARMA has agreed to work with me on SHE. This company cares so much about their reputation and the quality of projects with which they are involved is extremely high.

Here is the recording session in numbers:

12 hours of recording.

203 takes.

2 committed artists.

1 enthusiastic engineer.

1 experienced, encouraging producer.

Thank you again to everyone who has helped make this week a reality. I kept experiencing these surreal moments, where Jeff would slate the take and then I'd start to sing and it just felt like magic. My voice would actually sound the note that I was intending, with the tone I wanted. How amazing is the body, that it can do that?

This week will be forever be remembered as a mountain top experience. I hope it's the first of many records.

Recording Day 1

Today was a good day.

Amanda and I recorded "Eve Song" by Jake Heggie in 4 1/2 hours and 80 takes (roughly). 

I had dreams all last night about recording engineers and producers, my anxiety making itself known as I slept.

Last night I received a text from my dad.

 

I am fully aware of how lucky I am to have parents who support my artistic endeavors. Not only do they support me in their role as proud parents, but also as fellow artists. Without them, today would have never happened.

Amanda and I came into this day fully prepared, yet nervous about what to expect. What we discovered is that we have an incredible team which is made up of our engineer and producer who are committed to getting the best performances, while creating a comfortable and easy going atmosphere. Our producer is from PARMA (the company producing the album) and the engineer is a local Kansan.

We're in good hands. And as a result, I'm enjoying the luxury of focusing on my artistry. 

As I write this, reflecting on the day, I am amazed at our combined stamina (Amanda and me) and at the unflagging response of my instrument. The biggest worry I had going into this first day of recording was if those tiny, supple vocal folds in my larynx could hang in there for 4 hours. Well, they rose to the occasion.

I think there are definitely two factors that have contributed to my vocal stamina. One is the Estill Vocal method I've been studying and implementing into my teaching and singing. Having a scientific understanding of my voice has enabled me to sing in a healthy way, while still achieving many different colors. The other is that I have completely cut out sugar from my diet for about 5 weeks now. I never considered myself to be a mucus-y singer or one that has inflammation, but after being sugar free I've noticed a huge difference.

Tomorrow we will record "Too Few the Mornings Be" by Ricky Ian Gordon.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support of this project. This album belongs to you as well.

 

T-2 days

I've been singing these songs everyday since we got home from vacation. I alternate song cycles each day, focusing on trouble spots, making sure my diction is clear, training my instrument to do what I ask of it.

Today Amanda and I had one last rehearsal, in the space where we will record. We are both ready and excited and a little nervous about what the sessions will yield. We've been working together for almost 3 years and have performed so many times together, it's hard to count.

There's not a moment I take for granted, having a collaborative partner like Amanda. At this point, I feel like we're just an extension of each other. She's right there with me if I chose to spend a little more time on a consonant than is typical. Her consistency allows me to play with interpretation and color. I'm so grateful that Amanda has been on this journey with me and that we get to experience this together.

Recording this particular CD has been a dream since grad school. I've been singing some of this material for a decade (!) and I've been actively working on making a recording for the past two years. All the note learning, text study, research, fundraising, rehearsals, scheduling, first recording sessions, babysitting, recitals, family sacrifices, budget pinching, it's all culminating on Monday.

And of course, this wouldn't even be happening if it weren't for the village of people who have supported me financially and emotionally. It's humbling, to say the least.

I can't wait to share with you how this whole process unfolds. I'll try to post some pictures of the set up and sessions next week.

Can't wait to send these out in March along with the album!

Great Bake Off: Showstopper

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for our final Sternfeld-Dunn Bake Off challenge and a proclaimed winner.

Life became extremely busy and we kept putting off our final challenge. Honestly, I wasn't hopeful that we would actually get it done.

However, my mother in law had a birthday last week and we figured we'd take the opportunity to celebrate her with two "chocolate cakes that show off our chocolate work" while we are visiting.

The girls were very hopeful that our cake creations would take the shape of something other than cake. Knowing my limits, I decided to attempt a vase made of layer cake, with gum paste flowers coming out the top.

I decided to make cake balls out of the scraps and use as decorations.

The candy melts were ok for coating the cake pops, but I think the ones dipped in regular melted chocolate looked prettier.

I experimented with gum paste for the first time and definitely need more practice.

The final product doesn't really look like a vase, but by the end I was so over the entire project and more stressed than the experience merited that I'm just happy it didn't fall over.

The girls kept saying "it looks like the leaning tower of Pisa!"

Aleks made an "ice cream truffle" using layers of cake, ice cream, whipped cream, and ganache. He also made chocolate leaves from a mold.

The girls were very specific that they needed to taste every component.

The inside does look pretty and you can see where I attempted a crumb layer of frosting.

The inside of Aleks' was very pretty too.

The girls took their judging very seriously and took one bite of everything before moving to a different room to confer.

After much deliberation and heated debate, they came back and declared me the winner! Danni, was very diplomatic and said they both tasted and looked good.

So to recap:

Signature Challenge- Emily
Technical Challenge- Aleks
Showstopper Challenge- Emily

Overall best person/baker/champion of everything- Emily

Maia has decided that this will be an annual challenge. Aleks thinks we should do meat next year...