French Learning

As I began singing my first aria (the one with 24 high b-flats, 3 high c’s, and tons of fast notes) at the start of last night’s show, I noticed that it actually felt easy. I thought back to all of the lessons I have had on this role, slaving over each b-flat and every coloratura passage in my lessons, trying over and over again to keep them in line and properly supported and placed, wondering how I was ever going to manage to do this on stage in front of a theater full of people. As yesterday's show went on (our 10^th performance in the tour), I began to realize that I have learned a lot during my time here in France.

A sampling of the things that I have learned over the past three months, ranging from things vocally technical, things musical, life lessons, to random miscellany:

• It is actually possible to sleep on a plane from time to time.
• I’ve learned a ton of new French vocabulary (like how to discuss train strikes, for example).
• I have a tendency to hold tension in my left shoulder and arm when I sing, and this prevents me from grounding into a lower support and causes me to lock my abdomen. (Thank you, Susie, for pointing out my perpetually bent left arm – it was a bigger problem than you realized)
• I have learned to rely on resonance to project the sound even more than I used to (rather than muscle).
• The French tax situation is better than the German one for us singers.
• Being alone on the road is easier than it used to be.
• You need a fairly good internet connection for Skype to work effectively.
• I can navigate my way around Paris Gare du Nord, Charles de Gaulle airport, and London St. Pancras Station quite easily now.
• I am constantly reminded that phrasing is a good thing.
• Marking in rehearsal is not always a bad thing.
• Slow and steady wins the race (although not tempo wise in Rossini…then simply being steady wins the race).
• Champagne takes a long time to make.
• Bulgaria fought on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary during World War I.
  
• Always explore the local farmer’s market as soon as you can – don’t wait until the last weekend you are in a city.
• Even if I feel tired, if I immerse myself in the music, it will feed me the energy I need.
• The lower and more grounded my support is, the more musical options I have at my disposal.
• Recording is a REALLY useful tool.
• Arriving 35 minutes before a trans-Atlantic flight is not enough time, no matter how good your excuse is.
• The French are an incredibly polite people.
• It had been ten years since my last tetanus shot.
• Tetanus shots make your arm really sore for days.
• You don’t need a prescription in France to buy the tetanus vaccine at the pharmacy.
• It is possible to learn a great deal of things vocally on my own without a voice teacher holding my hand.
• I can do an upward bow in yoga now.