What a difference a 'tude makes

Since mid 2001, I have been taking singing lessons. Sounds like a long time to be learning how to sing I know, and I can confidently say, I'll continue taking lessons for quite some time.
Any trained singer would probably say the same thing - just like an athlete needs to continue to train, so to does a singer. You need to master your technique, learn to apply it to different styles of music, flex the muscle, learn to be "show" ready.
One week you may have everything in your control - pitch, tone, support, interpretation, the next week you are flat, lazy, forcing the sound, in short - a mess.
So you go home and practice - breathing exercises, tilting exercises, belting exercises, exercises for support, connecting with the song - working out what the hell the song is really about. You come back for your next lesson and you have, fingers crossed, improved.
I spent years doing this. Every week though I felt good, I felt like a student and the mistakes just meant that I was learning and growing.
When I was younger, in high school, I had an incident that for the next decade silenced me and led me to believe I would never sing. My music teacher at the time had, during a performance at a school assembly, asked me to stand at the back and "mouth the words". Adding that I was flat. (Referring to my voice of course - I doubt I would ever be described as flat in any other context, something I am finally, at 33, quite proud of!)
In a strange roundabout way, this incident has actually shaped me as a singer. I really wanted to prove ol' Miss Tooth that she was wrong and get back something that I dearly loved doing up until then. When I was ready, at 26, I found a teacher who, thankfully, was exactly who I needed. Over the last few years, he has been able to mould, direct and influence my voice. When I first started with him, I was so nervous that I would sing with my back to him. He has always been patient yet demands results.
Over the years I have found my strengths, worked on my weaknesses and have slowly, but surely worked out what kind of voice I have and what kind of singer I want to be. I don't just mean that I am an Alto Belter. I mean, I know what kind of voice I have. I know where its warm spots are, where it soars, where I need to steer clear of or at least have a contingency plan for. All the things that come from being with the same teacher for so long.
Most recently, in fact only last week, I declared that I felt like a singer. I have been able to sing for a while now, but only over the last twelve months have a felt like a singer. And it has made such a remarkable difference to how I feel about everything and how I approach everything.
It may be a long time, if ever, til I am able to actually show Miss Tooth that I don't stand at the back of the choir and mouth the words anymore. But I have finally gotten back what it was she took away, as well as a whole lot more on the journey.

So now all there is left for me to do is get out of the karaoke dens and onto a real stage. Next stop - Amanda Buckley is "A Whiter Shade of Pale" ....

Too Long Between Posts!

It has been a little too long between posts and I feel that, although I have tried (and failed) in the past to avoid "update" posts, there is no avoiding it this time.



WARNING - UPDATE POST FOLLOWING

Right, so -

Melbourne International Comedy Festival! This year I performed in Beaconsfield the Musical and what a wonderful experience it was. It was so warmly received and (brag alert) got some fab reviews including the coveted 4.5stars in The Age. As well as Beacy (as we affectionately call it) we got to write and perform for the open/close of Axed! and we appeared in one of the gorgeous Ali McGregors Late night Variety Night Shows ... again, what a pleasure!
Though, my personal highlight, once again, came in the form of 80's Enough - the fantastically awesome 80's cover band fronted by the one and only "Flash Dan". I was lucky enough to be invited up on stage for the closing night party at Hi-Fi Bar and sung Flashdance (What a Feeling!) I will happily carry that memory for a very very long time. Truly wonderful if not the smallest bit overwhelming - I hope everyone gets to feel such warmth and excitement from friends as I did that night. My friends, I have to admit, are probably the best out of all the friends you can have. I have not even mentioned all the great, inspiring and clever shows I got to see and see my friends in, which is rather remiss of me, so let me simply say, twas a grand month!
After Melbourne (which, given the leaving of a city I love and containing loved ones) I was incredibly thankful to dive straight into Sydney's Comedy Festival.
Susie and I were commissioned to write some live commercials for the sponsors of a Gala event. We were so proud and happy, both with our writing and performance of said commercials - how blessed am I that I can work with one of my best friends! We then went right on into our season of iMPro3 Shuffle - Suz's brainchild. Long form improvised comedy inspired by a random MP3 player taken from the audience. This is a show we love to do, mainly because it reunites us with the complete 4 Coasters - Toby Truslove and Cale Bain. We get to invite some of our favourite people to play with us and bang - we got a show!
National Theatresports time came round too, seeing our friends from Perth and Melbourne and Brisbane all drop in for some improvised good times and WAY too much drinking.
Amor and I took in the talents of Wayne Brady at the State Theatre. One talented man, and one pert behind!
With the finishing of the festivals (and the leaving of friends and loved ones yet again) I looked certain to fall into depression - but then - I flew to Melbourne. A surprise ticket to Martin Shorts one man show (Just crazy brilliant) Amazing seats at Avenue Q (WOOHOO - starring the amazing Luke Joslin) a fancy schmancy stay at The Hotel Windsor (Robes AND Slippers) made for a truly remarkable weekend. Note to self though AB - you cannot drink like you used to!
And just like that (after the saying goodbye to loved ones and friends YET again) I was rescued from the complete set of Blues by the June Long Weekend, Radelaide, My Nephews and The Cabaret Festival.
Oh my Lord. Bernadette Peters. She was everything I could have hoped she would be. I am so very very glad I went to see her, great excuse to visit my sister and her family and this time round meant I got to catch up with the Awesome Axis lads. It has also given me enough inspiration to jump aboard that Monkey driven Speedboat and make some real progress on the show I am (still) writing. I can actually see it taking shape now. Look out world. I have something I want to say. And by say I mean sing. And I plan on singing it soon!

Now, staring down the barrel of about 5 weeks of nothing much, the plan is to fight off the depressing loneliness with good old fashioned writing sessions. Right, self indulgent ranting monologues, here I come!