Professionalism in Music

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Evesophia

Lately there are videos online of a somewhat famous young woman pianist who gives performances wearing very revealing outfits. I don’t call them gowns because there isn’t much actual dress there. She IS a fine pianist but…cut out dresses, short short exposing lots of leg…basic clubbing outfits.

When one is becoming a professional musician one learns kind of in a hurry what TO wear to perform and what NOT to wear. And when one is performing especially for the high-end audiences in concert halls throughout the world, one also needs to respect the audience. Most people who come to hear the high class piano music you’re playing or arias you’re singing are NOT the T-shirt and underpants crowd who wake up in the morning and go for coffee in pajama pants. Oy vey!

Sure I have a friend who happens to be a doll, who is also a concert pianist and martial arts expert etc. etc. She has played in somewhat sexy gowns…strapless, a little low-cut but…that’s it. She looks terrific and plays spectacularly and still looks respectful to herself, her art and her audience. And that’s the difference.

Music and other creative personal careers are YOU being your own business. But…how do you sell yourself? Everything is not about you personally so-to-speak. Once you enter the “I’m My Own Business” arena you have to literally create a “performance persona” that is YOU but tailored a bit to appease an audience whilst performing the music the way YOU do it. A bit tricky but you get into your groove eventually as you become a more seasoned musician/performer. And, creative people are always re-inventing themselves…or polishing might I say…as we move through life.

This is also the same with teaching. You are YOU as a teacher but always refining yourself as you work with students. Nothing like the “people business” to draw out the numerous creative ways you can relate to people. All whilst being professional, of course. What a trip!

The above advice applies to all professions, not just music. But let me re-iterate. This may be the year 2025 where people “do their own thing” but there is a standard for presenting to the public which is a bit more conservative as it involves both respect for your craft, the audience and ultimately, yourself. Never forget that. People will more than appreciate your effort.

Then you can go home and change into the pajama pants you originally wanted to wear. Hahahahaha!

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Learning Music

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Evesophia

Hi everyone!

I’m back again. I’ve been working on a type of music class, simple enough, that people could subscribe to for not a ton of $$ per month. I settled on Beginning Music Theory. Welllll…there are a ton of beginning music theory courses online plus a couple of best-selling books. Hmmm…

So I thought I’ll go back to regular blogging until I can settle on a music subject not written about very much. It will more than likely be about singing and performing which is what I teach most these days. Choirs as well.

But today’s blog is about learning music in general. How do you learn it? There are lots of online courses, opinions, easy-peasy worksheets, games…you-name-it…to choose from. How about a simple lesson in just learning it in general? Your teacher or online course can give you great instructions but how do YOU make it work for yourself? I’ve always said that these creative careers make us be creative in how we learn and apply what we’ve learned. Actually any industry is like that but the creative arts is the most like that.

In my private teaching I’ve used standard ways of learning music theory…notes, musical staff, counting etc. A lot of times these standard procedures don’t click with every student especially the really young…piano students age 4 or 5 etc. So I’ve had to come up with some creative ways of getting them to learn. When you’re teaching little ones this can become a sort-of game. When you’re teaching older students it becomes a way of encouraging them to find a personal way to grasp the subject matter. How many times have we all come up with our own system…a “code” or shortcut that means something only to us…to remember stuff at a moment’s notice. Somebody else might think we’re nuts! But for us it signals exactly what we need and fast.

As I’m yammering through this post I’m beginning to see what my subscription blog is more than likely going to be…a more psychological approach to learning music and performing it, and how musicians really feel about all of this. What’s a music life like? Are we musicians normal? (please don’t ask my family and friends about me…hehehehehe). And I might even add stuff about makeup artistry etc.

So if any of my vast sea of fans (ha!) want to add your own opinion as to what I should talk about…that I have expertise on of course…let me know in the comments section. And realize that this is for a subscription course. But I’ll still be blogging about stuff in general. I mean I’ve been blogging since 2011. I still can’t seem to shut up! Ha!

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Singers

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Evesophia

Yes, us singers. We are a great group but…we also exhibit more emotions than any other performing musical artist…instrumentalists to be exact.

The studio I teach for had the usual spring/summer recital this past week. One of my students, who is doing well and certainly not singing in her first recital, had a meltdown! Oy!!!! She had had a minor one a couple of recitals ago but nothing much. Bounced back pretty fast.

Now here’s the thing. When a singer has a meltdown, usually in tears, you as a voice teacher not only have to calm the person down in order to perform reasonably well but…you’re also faced with the dreaded phlegm! You know, that mucous in your sinuses and throat. The stuff that makes singing mushy and uncomfortable because you are coughing up…phlegm! Ugh!

So the studio Director and myself eyeballed and slithered a bit along the side aisles of he hall configuring when she could sing since she was scheduled to sing FIRST! Ack! We decided on last. Ha!

During the program, which is a bunch of younger children…beginner singers and pianists plus one guitarist…she came around and ended up being in a good mood which helped my anxiety calm down as well. She did sing well. Had a couple of glitches but got better as she went through her two songs. And that’s the point! You might stumble over something in performance…it happens to all of us. But you keep going and make it better as you move forward. Both her parents told me she sounded good…I was behind her accompanying on the piano. So I was thrilled!

One thing about being in the creative arts is that you give from your heart and your guts! I call these “personal achievement” careers. Same with dancers, artists, makeup artists, Olympic athletes, etc. Your job is you! You develop your talent, dig deep and use it. Yes, it takes a bit to make a full-time living at these jobs…I always say “music doesn’t pay the mortgage.” But you have no choice really. Your talent chooses you as much as you choose it. I know I would be most unhappy probably for most of my life if I hadn’t gone into music. And I’m not rich or anything. But I am happy and I can make music all the time. I don’t have to retire from it. Maybe from certain aspects of it like running around on stage singing arias in my favorite opera (it’s exhausting), but I can tone it down a bit and still sing, and play, and conduct choir, and teach. We musicians are musicians our entire lives. We start as children learning an instrument and move through life growing up into music and then deciding on what we really want to do musically as an adult. Then we make music until the end!

So back to my student…having “growing pains” as a young singer is not unusual at all. We have growing pains throughout our regular lives. And one wants to present the best we can do showing our accomplishments and growth in our chosen field.

The point of all of this isn’t that we have difficulties, it’s how we recover from them and grow as a person…and artist. We move forward and get better. And that’s growth. And that’s the point!

Ahhh yes…us singers…drama queens. Ha!

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Music Time

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Evesophia

So. I am asking anyone who reads this blog post what you think of my plan to release a simple Music Theory course. It would be for anyone wanting to learn basic Music Theory. I have planned 4 lessons. You can subscribe to it monthly. It shouldn’t take that long to learn the basics but you would have it for a month and can keep going over it until it hits home. And of course anyone who takes my little course would be welcome to take plenty of notes etc.

Whoever reads this post let me know what you think. I’ve added a number of music “tags” so perhaps musician-types might be attracted to this.

At any rate, I’m half-way through writing it so it should be ready in another month I predict. Feel free to let me know your opinion if you read this blog post.

Thanks!!!!

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Back Again for the Umpteenth Time

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Evesophia

Well…I wouldn’t have to title my posts “Back Again…” if I didn’t keep experiencing these life events monthly. Ha! But thanks to everyone who has visited my Blog and even liked stuff I write about.

Finally this car accident thing is winding down and I have a new-used car like my last one. Whew! A couple more steps and I’ll be fully “back in the saddle” again.

Life stinks at certain times. I know a lot of stuff that we have to dredge through builds character and is good to experience but well, it still stinks. Especially when caused by a useless incident (accident). But yes, it does keep you on your toes and perhaps solves an impending situation that could have happened in the future thus saving you from something even worse! Life certainly has twists and turns. Wouldn’t you just love to know what you were just saved from if indeed that was the reason some of this stuff happens? Or maybe not. Maybe ignorance is bliss in these situations.

A friend of mine told me a while ago that there is a saying something like “when people are unhappy with their own problems and are faced with all the problems other people have, we would still choose to keep our own problems.” Not sure how well I said that but that’s the gist of it. I know I’ve complained about “why me.” Ha! But lots of other people have worse things going on in their lives. I complain about recent surgery and the pitfalls etc. Yet I am almost fully recovered and EXPECT to be back to me again. A lot of people younger than me have experienced worse and aren’t getting back to the normal person they were.

But on a happier note, I do have a fully paid for car like my last one and it’s registered with the State and it’s ready to roll! Yay! There was an amount of emotional pain and plenty of anger but…I made it! You would too. We’re all a strong bunch even when we don’t recognize it.

So. Now that it’s a Friday evening and I’m blogging, I hope everyone has a good weekend. Enjoy it as much as you can. And feel good about yourselves. I’ll bet you’ve overcome a lot of crap in your lives and are still standing and enjoying life. That’s the way it should be.

So here’s to us…every day!

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Life Hits Again

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Evesophia

You know, sometimes life sucks a lot. Sometimes you just can’t keep up with it.

March surprise in a way…my big brother died. Not totally unexpected but too soon in my opinion. He was 79.

April surprise…the famous surgeon who performed my surprise back/spinal surgery in 2023, one of the top 150 spine surgeons in the country, was killed in a private plane crash in upstate NY on Passover, the day before Palm Sunday. His wife, a doctor as well, and his 2 older children with their significant others were also killed. His youngest daughter is now left without her family. He was a pilot as well as a surgeon, and from what I understand a very good one. He wasn’t 60 years old yet. You wonder why this tragedy happened.

May surprise…I’m coming home from teaching, sitting in traffic about 10 feet from my home, waiting for the green light with everybody else, and a pickup truck from some company slams into the back of my car, pushes me into the SUV in front of me. Poof! My car is considered a total loss. Just like that. Now I have to replace the car I dearly loved. I wasn’t hurt physically.

So when does 2025 become a fun year? Why all of this stuff…one bomb after another?

Well, at least my quarterly tests and doctor visits went well. We’ll do it again but this time in 6 months. Yay! Good news!

How do we cope with a lot of bombs in our personal life? How do you cope? I’ve noticed that I tend to stop looking into the future and trying to solve the current bomb, and just live in the moment. You can’t predict the future with a lot of these bombs. You just have to take small steps and see how the situation unfolds. I have a lot of people who love me and are always there for moral support. So I’m very rich in that department. And who knows, maybe there is some life lesson in all of this…other than how strong are you to put up with all these bombs one right after another.

I love writing my blog. It helps to get out some feelings and yuckiness when stuff happens. You know, bombs. I’ll add this to my coping strategy. And how about you? Do you have a coping strategy when bombs drop? Feel free to list some. I’d love to see what others do when faced with you know, life bombs. And we know they will always drop especially when we least expect it. Life. A real trip huh?

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Realistic Makeup

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Evesophia

I thought I would write about makeup and actually how you can “make or break” your own look.

First of all, makeup is NOT a mask to hide behind. Proper skincare and makeup help enhance your already wonderful features. It’s like putting frosting on a cake you just baked. So a little education is very helpful in using makeup to your advantage.

There are “looks” that you can use for whatever you want to accomplish. The most common is the “natural everyday look.” What’s that? It’s using makeup in neutral colors etc. to enhance your own features. Going to work, going out for the day, etc. Just enough to look and feel “finished.” Light foundation, basic neutral eyeshadow, basic eyeliner close to the lash line, basic eyebrow application, coat of mascara, some blush and a light/neutral lipstick. Just enough.

There is also an evening look which means you can glam it up more. Still always use a light-handed as opposed to heavy-handed foundation. But you can glam up the eyeshadow more, do a bit heavier eyeliner or do a “cat eye” which is a very cool look when done properly (hint – look at a close up picture of a cat’s face). Keep the eyebrows reasonable but a bit darker if you like, a bit more blush, a couple of coats of mascara and a deeper lipstick that suits your coloring. You can also try your skill at false eyelashes. Be sure to practice a few times. They’re a bit tricky. And they can look a bit or a lot overdone! So practice with this one.

Then there is the wedding makeup. Most of you will not do your own. But if you hire someone make sure the person is a trained makeup artist. Going to the department store makeup counter is not the best idea. Most of the employees are not trained in true makeup artistry. And for your wedding, you need a practice session so you know exactly what makeup look you want and how it will look on you. Take pictures. That way you and the makeup artist are “on the same page.” NO wedding day surprises.

Things to look out for: overdone eyebrows – will make you look surprised or angry or just weird; too much cat eye – will make the little uptick in the outer corner of your eye look like a handle on a pot or pan; eyeshadow in some of the newer colors such as pink, wine, orange etc. – can make you actually look sick or like you didn’t get enough sleep the night before; blush on the cheekbones all the way up to the eyes or way too close to the nose – will make you look flushed or like you’ve had too much wine etc.; false eyelashes that are way too heavy – will make you look like you have brooms for eyelashes or something else weird. Not a glamorous look at all! And definitely make sure your foundation is a perfect match for your face color. It needs to blend into the jaw line. Nothing worse than foundation looking like some weird mask on your face.

When makeup is applied appropriately you look great! If not, then you tend to hate it and hate using it largely because you can’t get the look you want. Getting some basic education on doing makeup is a great idea, especially finding the right makeup (colors) for your skin color and eyes, etc. You CAN do this and feel good about yourself. It doesn’t have to be “makeup artist perfect” but it can look good and make you feel good (and very attractive).

So. There you are. Some makeup advice you can use. And, always do skincare night and day. This will keep your skin stay moisturized and help make your makeup look good. Hydrate too…water, you know.

And feel free to comment on my posts or leave suggestions as to what you’d like to hear about according to my list of topics. That could be very interesting indeed! Ha!

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I’m Back!

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Evesophia

Where have I been for 2 months? Welll…

Since my last post, I sprained my right upper leg muscle (groin) doing something stupid. That has taken almost 3 months to settle down. I still have to be careful.

Then March 16, my big brother Casey died. I was devastated as we all were…our sister, his 3 wonderful kids. He was the nicest guy. One of my favorite men on the planet. He would get along with anybody. And if a person turned out to be a jerk, he would mutter a couple of things and walk away. Seriously. He didn’t bother with someone who wasn’t going to be genuine…as a friend or acquaintance.

We used to text a lot. We’re from Chicago. He was one of the Chicago Cubs’ biggest fans. And Da Bears. The Bears have had a tough few years. Since I’m now in the Boston area we don’t get the Bears games that much. So I would text during games and ask how they did. He would usually say they lost. My typical response was “Virginia needs to sell.” Virginia McCaskey was the long time owner. She recently died at the age of 101 (or 102?). She was George Halas’ daughter. Halas was one of the original founders of the NFL

My brother wasn’t really sick. The past 3 years he fought a lesion in his inner ear for which he had a laser treatment. The treatment worked but he seemed to go downhill after that. Not sure why. But he didn’t linger for months. Nevertheless, he’s gone. His 3 children did a beautiful job arranging his funeral. And since he was a Viet Nam War veteran, there was a flag and short military ceremony at his funeral. So all in all a beautiful send-off. And since my sister-in-law died 14 years ago, they added a small picture of her in the casket. She was in her wedding dress. I just know they are sooooo happy together now in the afterlife. We’ll survive here with the wonderful memories.

And of course a month later we celebrated Easter. Pascha as we call it in the Orthodox Church. It was big and glorious and of course, exhausting. It always is. And I made such a good Easter dinner complete with some traditional Polish dishes. And being Polish, we bless our Easter baskets as well. Easter eggs, kielbasa, horseradish for the kielbasa…haha! But it’s special. Holidays have some traditions that make them so special. And we all look forward to that.

Now we wind down. Time to look forward to the warm spring and summer months. Relax, sort of. Ha! Whoever relaxes anymore! And get used to life without certain people. Regroup.

I’m so much better after my emergency back surgery 18 months ago. But still putting on the final touches of getting stronger and pursuing my life again. So much change in the past 5 years. And illness amongst people I know…both family and friends. A couple of deaths. And now the Pope has died as well. It seems 2025 is one of those years that really changes our lives. It certainly didn’t start out spectacularly. Hopefully that will wind down and we’ll start a period of more calm and less personal anxiety.

You know, they always talk about being a Senior Citizen, which I am, as a time when you can relax, travel, enjoy life after years of working etc. I am wondering when that actually starts. Ha! So far it’s been pandemic, losing a music studio, best music pal dying, major back surgery, long time superb voice teacher dying, big brother dying, friend at Church dying…you get the gist. When does the party begin? Or does it ever?

Lots to think about in life. So how is 2025 going for you so far? How are you handling it? I think that’s really the point. How do we handle the curves and bombs thrown at us in life. They’re supposed to help mold us into who we are.

I guess they do! How about you?

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Presidents Day

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Evesophia

I love Presidents Day. George Washington and I share the same birth day…not year. Ha!!! But I love Washington and Lincoln. Great men. Great presidents.

Washington had vision for this country. We need to live free and run our own lives. No big government in our faces. Lincoln needed to keep the country together. One big piece was slavery. The South engaged in it but the North abhorred it. The country wanted to split. He kept us together.

President Reagan said that “Freedom is a fragile thing and is only one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

No one knows that better than those brave souls who came from England, settled here as a British colony, then decided they wanted no more Kings telling them what to do and when to do it. They wanted to live as free people on their own terms, but with law and order and respect for every person who came to this new country.

And we as Americans need to take the time and digest this. There are so many unsavory individuals/countries who would destroy us and our different approach to life. There’s no country like the USA. We are that unique. But for those who don’t understand our beginnings and our resolve, they think they can come here, use our freedoms and work them “their way” in order to ruin us. Wrong!

This is why it’s mandatory to teach future generations who we are and why it’s so important to protect our freedoms. It’s life to us! It’s life to anyone who emigrates to this country. And most importantly, it works. We have the chance to live life our way. It’s work and it doesn’t always work how we want it to but…we have the freedom to change course, tweak it, and reconfigure our path until we get to where we want to be. That is true freedom.

So. Enjoy praising the presidents you like the best. And honor those that gave a lot to make this country great especially from the very beginning.

Happy Presidents Day!!!! Happy freedoms everyone!

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Emotions

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Evesophia

Yes, emotions. I got angry at a situation in my condo building the other day. It involved constuction guys renovating a condo soon to be up for sale, and going in and out whilst leaving our security door propped open.

First of all, that door needs to be closed all the time. It is locked. It is a security door…duh. Secondly, it is winter. It’s cold outside…duh. These workmen don’t really care about the building HOA rules. They just do their job. And this group doesn’t speak English. So if they need to get in and out of the building they prop the door open and leave it. Period. In the meantime, we in the building are freezing. Plus we do heat our hallways. But if you try to talk to them, they don’t understand you. Swell.

So, coming in that day when they were upstairs, I saw the bucket of rock salt propping open the door. I got so angry (for the umpteenth time) that I attempted to pull the thing in and close the door. It is dead weight and I can’t lift that bucket. So I dragged it. Then I dragged it over the step into the building and immediately twisted my leg basically spraining the upper thigh/hip connection. A weight-bearing section of your body. So. My anger got me a sore leg for several days. I feel like an idiot. I could have just left the door partially closed and had the guys finish the job since they were coming down the stairs.

So where did my angry, belligerent, stubbornly independent attitude get me? A couple of days using my cane and trying to not put a lot of weight on my leg. As I write this the leg is very much better due to my heroic action to clear this up (Advil, heating pad, etc.).

Need I say more on this particular subject? Did everyone reading this get the point? Good.

Seriously. I’ve always been the “oh I’ll do it myself” stubborn person in life…since I was about 5. Yes it works most of the time because it has to but sometimes, well…you fill in the blank.

And then there’s the issue of who is around to help you? This makes me feel like the perpetrators are always getting the upper hand. Something else that makes me even more angry. Ugh.

I don’t know where I’m going with this. Hmmmm… But maybe I’m already there. If you got the point of this story then this blog accomplished it’s goal. But what do you think? What have you encountered if you’ve ever let an emotion make you do something stupid? Do tell! After all, I don’t want to be in this club alone. Ha!

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