All About Mom

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Evesophia

This time I’ll write about Mom. The 30th anniversary of her death is Sept. 1.

I’m named after Mom. She had a good singing voice and was in the Church choir before she had us kids. Mom was great. She would always listen to us. She and her 3 sisters, our aunts, listened and gave good advice. A lot of young people don’t want any advice from parents or aunts and uncles but mine gave such common-sense advice I took it from all of them. They all made sense.

Mom loved me being an opera singer. And when things were tough and I would whine, she’d listen for all of 4 1/2 minutes then say something like, “Well are you going to just whine about it or fix it?” Whoaaa…yes Mom! I’m on it! Haha! But she also had that calm, reassuring voice that just hit the right spot when she called me or I called her.

Mom was very appropriate. We kids needed to take care of our things, needed to help around the house, be polite, not dress like crap…care how we look, be respectful of others etc. Don’t argue in public or make fun of family members. Nobody’s business what happens in your house. But most people were like that years ago.

When Dad died she got depressed. I’m sure of it. The grandkids perked her up so very much. She would babysit for my brother and sister-in-law’s little ones. She had a way with kids anyway. Knew how to communicate with them, goof off with them, make them feel special. Those kids were lucky they had such a wonderful Busia (boo-sha…Polish for Grandma).

When she died, which was suspiciously 2 months before what would have been her and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary (hmmm…did she plan that?), we kids started the task of cleaning out the house. That is when you really find out who your parents were, as I stated when writing about my Dad.

Mom loved flowers. She would spend hours in the garden. Our back yard was very beautiful. Seriously! I didn’t know she belonged to a garden club either until mail came for her, seeds, the day after she died. She had all kinds of flower doo-dads. In fact, we buried her in a flowered dress. And, her casket had flowers around the handles with a stitched flower inside the cover. Made for Mom.

Mom took care of us until the end as well. I always joke about the birthday gift she gave me and my sister one year. She bought us graves. Yes, graves. So we are all set!

I think about Mom especially now after this last (hopefully) surgery. She took care of me every day when I had the brain surgery 33 years ago. I think she is still taking care of me after this one too. Sometimes you just know.

What else can I say? It pays to have parents who deeply care about their kids. No one is perfect and things don’t always happen as one would want but the upshot is that the kids do remember the important moments/feelings with their parents. The deep love and caring. It makes us better humans. It makes us able to care for our own kids and others. It’s that deep connection that matters more than anything else.

So. Think about your own upbringing and parents. Where does that take you?

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Music in Today’s World

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Evesophia

One of my voice students was leaving after her lesson recently, and her Dad looked at the piano in the lesson room and said that theirs was a similar brand. I told him I had a Chickering from years ago. A fine piano indeed. He also said it’s hard to sell a basic piano these days. Nobody is buying. Unless it’s a grand piano which of course are not cheap. Everyone seems to want a digital keyboard with the weighted keys, which mimic the weight of piano keys.

This made me think. Everyone wants the least possible intrusion into their lives in this day and age. A keyboard which does have weighted keys is similar to a piano in that sense but it’s not a piano. The feel and action of the keys is still a bit different. And the price can even be more than a simple spinet piano. Plus a digital keyboard is not necessarily that much smaller than a small spinet piano. Granted a piano needs to be tuned at least once a year but then again, nothing electronic can go wrong with it. And a piano is a very nice piece of furniture.

The director/owner of the studio where I teach this young lady told me a few weeks ago that their aren’t a lot of inquiries into private lessons lately. More people are looking into class piano, which is about 4-6 students in the room learning as a group. It’s a less intensive approach to learning the instrument than a one-on-one lesson with the teacher. Cheaper as well.

I also watched a webinar with a teacher from one of the professional music organizations I belong to. It was about digital products in the online teaching studio. She has 100 students. I almost fainted! I wondered how she could manage that many per week. However in the webinar she mentioned she has an online studio only, and it’s only group piano. No wonder she can manage that group of students. She also showed us her online platform where students can ask questions etc, but she can also tap into how they are practicing at home. Hmmm I thought.

How we teach music has changed in this day and age. A lot of it came from the Covid pandemic. Everything was closed. Teaching in general went online. Church services went online. Things we never thought could be handled online went online. All of a sudden everything was online. I was immersed in Makeup Artist courses at that time and…all of that was online as well. Haha! Had to use my neighbors to practice all kinds of different makeup applications. Haha!

I personally like one-on-one teaching especially for voice. But it’s nice to know that we can do this online if we need to, perhaps in lousy weather, tons of snowfall making travel difficult, mild illness when the student or teacher is able to perform but doesn’t feel comfortable in-person until they’re 100% well. There are circumstances in which it comes in handy. One of the downfalls I have seen unfortunately, is that progress can be slower when a lot is done online. Unless the student takes full responsibility for their practice time between lessons…is organized and keeps to a schedule. I did have a young adult student like that during the pandemic and it worked great.

A number of attitudes have changed in the area of teaching especially private tutoring in the past few years and since the Covid pandemic. I have been teaching 37 years. I have seen a lot of stuff…period. I admire and support new ways of thinking and of getting around tough situations which we had no answer for years ago…like teaching lessons in snow storms etc. Wouldn’t happen. Now we have a Plan B! I still prefer the in-person approach since there really is no comparison regarding the learning.

I just hope that people in these current times don’t start cutting more corners expecting to achieve the same expertise as “the old successful way” in previous years, in whatever they are pursuing. Learning instruments is one of those situations where in-person learning will always take the lead over online. That’s my vote for sure…but I am glad we have an alternative just in case.

Thoughts anyone?

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Who We Are

Posted on August 11, 2024 by Evesophia

I’ve written about my Dad before. Well August 10 would have been his 114th Birthday. Ha! I can assure you he wouldn’t have been happy living that long. But it makes you think about what kind of people your parents were.

Dad was very gifted and creative. He was an excellent artist. He worked in water colors. The only difference between his art and the object he was painting was the medium…his paintings were water color…but other than that, spot on!

As a musician, he played clarinet. He always wanted to be a clarinet soloist. He had taken only the few free lessons at the store when he bought the clarinet. Never studied with a private teacher other than that. Yet he played like any pro you would hear on the radio classical station. Not to mention polka bands. Yeow!

Dad never finished 8th grade. He had to start working to help out at home…parents being Polish immigrants. Yet when looking through his things with Mom after he died, I ran across a certificate that said he was ready to go to college. Hah! I was floored! He had a book collection called “The Practical Man.” And it was a correspondence course. Algebra for the Practical Man, Trigonometry for the Practical Man, etc. I always used to joke about Practical Oceanography for the Practical Man. Hahahahaha! But I finally got the point as to what that collection of books was for. Dad was educating himself! Excuse me while I faint. This level of personal achievement is hard-pressed to find in this day and age.

And then…he was a good plasterer. That means using plaster to build walls and stuff years ago. He would do that as a side job besides his delivery job for a private company. And…he built furniture. It was from kits but the furniture was quite good stuff. I have a small “secretary” he built years ago. Love it! And he built 4 Grandfather Clocks from kits…one for him and Mom, and one for each of his 3 kids.

Dad was in the Marines for 8 years. His 4-year term was up right before WWII started. But like most men in that day and age he wanted to go fight for our country. So he re-enlisted. They couldn’t send him overseas because he had “swimmers ear” in his left ear and couldn’t hear well enough for war deployment. So he became a drill sergeant. He was always a Marine whether currently enlisted or not. I swear I was the only 4 year-old on our block who could fold the Flag. Haha!

Dad wanted at least one of us kids to be a musician. That ended up being me. When I was about 4 he would come around with real music…probably clarinet music…when I was playing outside and ask “do you want to learn this?” Of course it’s your Dad…you say “uhuh!” So he would read me the lines and spaces. I don’t know how many times he did that but a number of years later, when we got our piano, I sat down and looked at real music again and thought “I know how to read this. And I guess you find it on the piano and hit that key.” Of course I needed the piano teacher to make that more cohesive but…I learned to read music early on. Kids’ brains sop of everything when they’re that young.

And…Dad always cared about how he looked. Hair, hands, if going casual then nice casual very often with a suitcoat. He wanted us kids to look good. Our parents in general wanted us kids to look good even if going to a family picnic. Not “roll outta bed” slobs like one sees a lot of in this day and age. Care how you look…how you present yourself to the world…even as a kid.

So. Next time I’ll write about my Mom. Sometimes you don’t really know who your loved ones are until they die, unfortunately. Years ago that was more true than current times. But what an adventure seeing what made your parents tick. What they dearly loved to do. Makes me feel even more strongly about doing what I dearly love my entire life.

What about you? When was the last time you dug deep? Don’t avoid it. Who are you really? Take that journey. You might even start with who your parents are and see what they passed on to you. Trust me…it’s definitely worth the trip.

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What Am I Curious About

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Evesophia

There was a prompt on my blog site…”What are you curious about?” So…that’s my article today.

What am I curious about? 1) Why on this planet do people walk down the street fixated on their cell phones? They cross the street like that too. They practically walk into you and don’t say “excuse me.” They are carrying a $1,000+ little machine in their hands and somebody could just grab it and run. They also talk on it at the grocery store which is maddening!

2) Why don’t people care more about the way they present themselves in this day and age? Why is absolutely everything so casual? And not nice casual…the next step after bed clothes. In fact some people wear their pajama bottoms outside. Like we don’t know what that is. How many times have I seen women with their finger and toenails done to perfection and yet with wet hair and no makeup. People usually talk to your face and not your hands or feet.

3) Why do drivers race to pass you up then get back into your lane in front of you only to go in the same direction as you…like get on the highway, make a turn on the next street…stuff you were doing all along. They only save about 2 minutes if that. Could possibly cause an accident too. Why did they have to get there before you?

4) Why do people immediately follow a new style some fashion guru invents even if the fashion guru isn’t famous? Why would someone wear ripped jeans? They make one look well…awful. Those leggings that conform to every last part of one’s body…are people comfortable in that? Do you want all of you to be on display to everyone?

5) Why do people wear so little on the beach? Thongs. Bikinis that look more like rubber bands. You might have a supermodel figure but do you really think we want to see that much of you? We see our own bodies daily. Isn’t that enough for most people? Do I have to see that much of you? Seriously?

6) Why have wedding dresses become so revealing? And still white? I play weddings at my Church. The color white is supposed to be for purity…aka a virgin. That’s hardly the case anymore. So why not pick another color? The white isn’t appropriate much anymore. Just because designers are making wedding dresses into something from “sex and the city” doesn’t mean it’s right or appropriate.

7) Why do people just follow news or anything really that doesn’t make sense? Are you that gullible? Can’t do some research yourself or critical thinking? Following the crowd isn’t always the best idea.

8) Why do people just throw garbage when they’re done using something. Cigarette butts, empty coffee cups, candy wrappers, etc. Can’t take it home with you and toss it in the real garbage if there isn’t an outside garbage receptacle nearby? It’s not hard to do.

I think that’s enough of a list for now. I’m sure I could come up with more especially once I post this article. Ha!

Have you wondered about stuff? Curious? Just go for a drive or sit in the car dealer’s waiting room when your car is in for service. Get on your phone of course (not whilst driving)…hahaha! Then spy. See what people are doing or what they look like. And most of the time you don’t have to spy intentionally. It’s just there. You realize you don’t understand why people do stuff.

I wonder what people think about me? I admit I can be an odd duck. Do you wonder what people think about you and what you’re doing or wearing? Hahaha! Now I’m curious about that! Ha!

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Music and Your Brain

Posted on July 26, 2024 by Evesophia

A lot has been published lately about how music affects ones brain. A couple of top hospitals here in Boston have done research on it which includes taking specific MRIs of the brain to see exactly how music affects us musicians. It is also well known that keeping your brain healthy and slowing down the ageing process includes learning new skills. Grandma Moses became a famous artist at age 80. All musicians that I know keep going and going forever making music. I’m one of them.

Whenever I start teaching a new piano student I tell them this is brain-training. Learning to move fingers separately to do specific things on their own is a different skill entirely than picking up a cup. So is learning spacial things like reaching for a piano key without having to look for it. And watching that student start falling into that routine of playing with all 10 fingers more and more coordinated is nothing short of amazing.

I have always loved looking at the pictures showing the brain of a musician looking like a garden has exploded in the brain itself! And I am seriously considering asking the neuroscientists at my hospital which is Brighams in Boston, to take one of those MRIs of my brain so I can see what is going on in there. Haha!

For myself, I have always felt more alert in general. I feel I understand things more quickly. My brain is operating at a faster speed. I usually can’t explain it very well other than I feel on top of things mentally all the time. And I have been able to memorize everything, not just music, since childhood. And that’s something my father knew very well about me. I could never get away with the “I don’t know what happened” excuses because he knew I remembered everything! Hahahahaha!

My point in this article is that in order to keep your brain active and doing well as you age, learning a new skill is a very good idea. Learning a musical instrument is a very common new skill. You won’t become a concert pianist or violinist or whatever instrument you choose, but your brain will thank you for this aerobic exercise it gets when you practice. It’s the continuous practice that keeps your brain doing jumping jacks and having a good time! Ear-training is also a part of becoming a musician. You are more sensitive to pitch and the overall timbre of music. Lots of benefits from musical learning even if it’s only a serious hobby. Or just a fun activity. But to be clear, it’s the continuous practicing that exercises the brain. So…you still have to practice. Haha!

There are many new skills you can learn to keep your brain active as we age, just like keeping physically active at the gym etc. For me music is number one! I try to do the other stuff too though.

To read more inclusive articles about how music affects the brain look up this subject online. There are a number of studies that explain it more scientifically than I can. Very interesting reading. It just might push you to make that decision to learn to play a musical instrument. I highly recommend it.

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Accepting Therapy

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Evesophia

I have had therapy 3 times in my life. Why you ask? These moments came at times when I was making life changes. I started teaching voice at age 36. I saw a therapist for a few months to help me make that change to being an entrepreneur and having the confidence to do it…at least along with my regular job. Putting yourself out into the world as a professional anything, in this case musician, is scary at best! Even though I was running around performing a lot, I wasn’t out there presenting myself as the ultimate voice and piano teacher. You’re well qualified and a nice person but you need to sell yourself and your abilities. So I didn’t want any childhood trauma or negative/toxic thinking to get in the way of my self esteem and confidence.

Personal achievement careers are so dependent on your confidence in yourself to present the best you can be. That therapy session lasted a few months. I learned that I do count as an individual and to believe in myself much more. Sometimes it’s the basics you just need to focus on. Seems remedial but very often the simple things in life need to be reinforced. You’re not some strange alien walking around. You just need to be more aware of the real person you are and what you have to offer.

My next stint with therapy was about 18 years ago after I broke up with a man I had been seeing for 3 years. I honestly thought we would get married…finally. Well…he left. I didn’t know how to handle this breakup as I thought I was finally doing everything right in that relationship, except for the red flags I just brushed off. Ugh. I got so depressed I thought I needed to talk to someone. I did find a great therapist close by through my insurance. Once again she helped me concentrate on my own well being and accept that it’s another heartbreak, not the end of the world. I will survive and move on. All is not lost. She was right.

Now is the third time I am accepting the need for a few therapy sessions which are offered through one of the professional music organizations I belong to. We get a full month of free therapy as part of our membership. Since my recent emergency spinal surgery I have had some side effects of surgery, mood swings and other minor things which go away but are annoying. Your regular routine is interrupted for a few months during recovery, even your sleep. But what bothered me the most was the elusiveness of my wonderful, perfect neuro-spine surgeon. He’s one of the 150 best spine surgeons in the USA.

The 1 1/2 times I did see him was right before surgery and then 2 months later for an office follow-up visit. I understand this was an emergency surgery, hence no big introductions and pre-surgery planning etc. I just landed at the hospital and he appeared in pre-op. But there was no visit after surgery whilst I was still in the hospital, no big comprehensive discussion about what he did and what he found, which was a spinal tumor. My hospital stay was only 3 1/2 days. Corporate hospital in this day and age. Bumped to rehab for 2 weeks. No real communication about post-operative care, what to expect when I get home, what rehab was all about…a real hole in the surgical/hospital communication. Then when I was about to see him 2 weeks ago he left the hospital for an Executive Director of Neurosciences job elsewhere. Now you see why I call him elusive. All this time I felt what I call abandonment…like the people that mattered most to me during this surgery never really addressed it with me. Kind of like I didn’t matter. Although I did see a new spinal surgeon for that visit, another 5-star brilliant young man, very nice and personable, he’s not the one I wanted the original conversation with.

Not realizing this is what might be the real reason behind my bouts of anxiety and doomsday thinking, I turned to the therapist for the 5 free sessions offered by my music organization. And since talking to him about my thoughts and anxiety etc. during this recovery time, I realized all I wanted was someone to listen to me like I mattered. My issues weren’t terribly serious but seem to have been masking my real need to talk to my surgeon about me and my surgery. A real comprehensive discussion. It’s interesting how one issue can cause others which leads you to another solution that can end up solving the original issue. Huh.

My point with this article is if you feel off kilter emotionally or you are feeling more and more depressed etc. it’s okay to pursue therapy if you need a more in-depth approach from a professional. It’s not a black mark on your life. It’s taking control of you and fixing you so you can move forward, especially after a major issue in your life such as major surgery. Invest in yourself. You are your most important project in life. Never mind what anyone says, if you choose to tell them what you are doing. It’s for you and no one is going to do this for you. You have to take care of you.

Choose to care of yourself. I’ve taken the plunge 3 times in life. And each time it gave me the help I needed. Take care of you both inside and out, mentally, emotionally and physically. And then…eat pie. Either with whipped cream or ice cream. Pie can be part of your therapy as well. Haha!

You knew there would be a funny ending! Admit it!

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Making Music

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Evesophia

It’s been a few days since I blogged. A few things got in the way…not the least of which is former President Trump was almost assassinated. Nothing short of horrendous! Also here in the Boston area it is soooo hot…2 weeks of 90+ degrees. Beautiful days with not a cloud in the sky but…an oven. One can’t think other than to find cool air, cold water and a place to sit and stare for a bit whilst trying to survive as a human. Haha!

But back to music. You all know I am a professional musician, opera singer, voice and piano teacher, modest organist and choir director. So how do you attain all of that and actually know how good you are in each of your endeavors? You work consistently until you achieve it and “pass muster” with your master teachers both in undergrad and graduate school. Then…you go out into the world and make it happen. Apply your knowledge and talent and make music stuff happen. And yes, you know where your best talent lies and how to include your lesser talents. And first and foremost, you strive to be a good musician before anything else.

This leads me to those who want the instant gratification of making music in a hurry apparently just to make money. Well…what about proper training? What about how you actually present to the public? Truthfully…are you any good? Or are you banking on “doing your thing” as a way of becoming famous even though your “thing” isn’t very good at all! Everyone else does their “thing” in popular music especially but most have had some training. In fact there are some pop musicians who actually have their doctorates. Bravo to them!

But trying to shortcut your way into music frankly never works. It’s like trying to shortcut your way into learning how to walk. You can’t. All of these things are what is called “brain training” and takes an amount of time to come to fruition.

All personal achievement careers take time to blossom. Even when one is fully trained with schooling and degrees etc, you still polish your achievement throughout your life. Actively engaging in your career is like polishing furniture until you get that deep shine and sparkle. That’s how our talent grows throughout life. We can present better and better. We get more seasoned in our art. There’s no replacement for it. However if you don’t have the initial foundation to build on then you have nothing to polish. It’s DOA and that’s all there is.

So when I see people who are supposedly famous making music with faulty voices, not a lot of musicianship, or no knowledge of how to present their music or even interact with an audience, I’m done with them. If you want to count among us musicians who have worked tirelessly for our art to be known as the consummate educated and trained musical artist, then do the work. It’s that simple.

There are a lot of fakes on this Earth. And if you see this sort of thing in your own life and whatever your life’s pursuit is, you know. It shows very soon once you start engaging with them. We all owe it to ourselves to be proud of what we know and can do. Don’t let any fakes take that away from you. Separate yourself and move forward with those who speak your language. Those who put the honest work into becoming what their talent is. I certainly had to learn that as a musician.

Being authentic is the only way to live. We owe it to ourselves. Don’t you agree?

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Music and Life

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Evesophia

My late best friend/music bud Dr. Fred, or as he would tell his piano students, Docman G, died 2 years ago June 19. He was a devout Russian Orthodox Christian. He was also a master, brilliant musician/organist. We made great music together and were equally nuts…I still am nuts so not to worry. Ha!

In the Orthodox Church one celebrates/remembers the deceased by having an annual Memorial, a short service right at the end of the Divine Liturgy. A proper Memorial includes a wheatberry concoction called Kolyva. Wheat means life. We make it. It consists of cooked and dried wheatberries. We mix them with golden raisins, some pomegranate bits, slivered almonds and cinnamon. Those are the basics. People add some other things as well. Then you pack the mix into a tray which has been dolled up with paper doilies to beautify the arrangement. Sprinkle some bread crumbs lightly over the mix and put a good deal of powdered sugar over the top as the final ingredient. Pack that down and then add some decorations. Jordan Almonds are a must as well as some small silver pieces for adding the initials of the person. And a beautiful cross in the middle. Then try not to breathe so nothing gets goofed up before the Liturgy. Haha! Afterwards we mix it in a bowl and serve it to eat. It’s good! Mine is!

It’s a nicety and a so very proper one that we need to do for our loved ones in the Orthodox Church. It makes us feel like we are properly taking care of them even as they are now departed physically from us. Then we go about our lives.

I remember when Dr. Fred went into hospice care in the hospital. I had to play a wedding at my Church the next day. Ugh. However, I always remembered what Docman used to say. “When you have a job to do you put everything on the back burner and do your job. Period.” So I did. I put thoughts of him in the back of my mind and played well. That’s what musicians as well as other professional people do. We keep our pain to ourselves to help make another’s life event a happy one. And making music actually soothes our pain as well. I’ve mentioned that in another one of my posts. Music can be a medicine for what ails us in life as well as boost our joys.

I remember the times when Docman was ill and still had to sit on the organ bench for a big deal Christmas Eve service with full choir and brass as well. He would joke about not hearing the trumpet playing right by him since his right ear was plugged. Ha! And the many times he saw a chiropractor for numerous backaches. Playing with 2 arms and 2 legs sitting on an organ bench isn’t good for anyone’s back. It’s amazing what we all do when we are passionate about our work and absolutely need to do it for whatever reason (special occasion of any kind) so as to provide that service we are so good at and can make the occasion superb instead of just “a nice service.”

Every time I sit down to play I think about the inspiration I get from Docman to play as a pro and not let anything get in the way…including thoughts. Be who you are when you need to do that job. And, that takes me back to celebrating his departure into the next life with a special Memorial and Ev’s version of Kolyva. We need to celebrate people in our lives whether still with us or dearly departed.

That’s what we humans do. And with Docman G we get to make superb music as well. Yes!

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Making Music Appropriately

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Evesophia

What does that mean you’re asking.

Well, I was watching the Capitol Fourth from Washington DC last night, July 4. I always do. And yes, I like some of the entertainment and some I don’t. I always love the National Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Jack Everly. Plus this year, the wonderful pianist Chloe Flower.

But then their are the singers which I really scrutinize, for obvious reasons being a voice teacher of 37 years. Which brings me to the title of this piece.

With most popular entertainers it is pretty much assumed they will make any song they sing “their own.” Bring their own style to it and try to “wow” the audience. However, not all songs are in that category. Songs that were composed years ago, like our dearly beloved national treasures, were meant to be performed the way that composer intended. And these types of songs are meant to celebrate specific things or situations…like the “Star Spangled Banner” which is our National Anthem.

I am always doing flip-flops (at my age) when I hear singers take the National Anthem and sing it “their way.” There is no “their way” with this song. It’s the song meant to celebrate our Revolution which freed us from the bonds of England’s Monarchy. We wanted to be free and we fought like dogs for it! The song should be sung in the appropriate manner out of respect. Granted it’s not the easiest song to sing but no need to make it any more difficult by rearranging it “your way.” Oy vey!

Other songs like “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America” also need to be sung respectfully and appropriately. Songs written for special occasions should be treated like it. Not every piece of music out there is for performers to use the way they please. Modern entertainers seem to not comprehend this fact of musical life.

When one studies music and obtains several degrees etc., we are taught about the different eras of music. Music history. There are different periods of music each with their own style. Baroque, the time Bach and Handel lived, has its own unique style for vocal and instrumental music. The same goes for the Classical Period, Romantic, Impressionist, etc. One has to learn the different styles in order to perform the music of each period correctly.

Art songs such as German Lieder and French Chansons etc. (German and French songs), have their own style. Singers have to learn that and abide by it. Opera arias also have their own style. Some are more rigid than others. Some a singer can take a bit more liberty with. It depends on the composer and again the style of the music.

Lest I bore the entire world with my singer/musician’s evaluation of music throughout the ages, let me reiterate the title…making music appropriately. Just because you are a modern entertainer doesn’t mean you take any piece of music and “make it your own” style. You make it your own by singing it well, respectfully and meaningfully.

So there. Today’s music lesson. Food for thought. One can’t take liberty with a lot of things in life. Many things need to be respected and treated appropriately. Music of course is the one that stands out for me.

And you?

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Changes in Life

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Evesophia

At some point, no matter how old you are and where you’ve been in this life, change is needed. For as long as I’ve been a musician I’ve been basically working for other people. That’s fine but if you’re annoyingly independent like me, haha, it doesn’t always work very well because you have your own style that you’ve developed over the years and has worked well for you.

I’m a professional musician and certified makeup artist. Personal achievement careers as I call them. But what happens when they take a “hit” like they both did when I had my latest surgery? Even though I’m still a very capable musician and makeup artist I’m tired, very tired, of the ups and downs and various “hits” these jobs, especially the musician job, has taken over the years. We’re all in need of financial security when we get older into senior-hood. The ups and downs of these careers make it very difficult to engineer a comfortable retirement should I want to quit altogether…which I don’t. Musicians go on forever until the end. Ha!

But I just signed onto a new venture in my life, marketing for other businesses. I sure wish we as musicians were taught the in-depth technique for advertising and obtaining clients as I’m learning right now. It’s a game-changer. Thinking outside the box in order to maintain a reasonably comfortable extra income as one gets older is mandatory to survive. I’m still a very useful person and very capable of making a major change to help myself survive. But then I’m always surviving and fixing things. If finding enough music work to help sustain my older years is going to be a supreme challenge in this day and age then I’ll think outside the box and try something else…something I can actually do online and even from a hospital bed if I had to. Hahahahaha!

My new venture is also a way of helping others in their businesses. What I’m learning now is vital to all professions and businesses. How do you market yourself, and your wonderful skills and services? People are really out there looking for what you have to offer. If I can help others’ businesses survive and thrive, I’m all for it. Glad to help.

I always say one can’t be a one-trick-pony in this life but I’m usually talking about being a musician. It applies to life in general. One does have to be creative to survive. I have to say, I’m always thinking up my own schemes to get what I need and basically survive…hopefully thrive a bit more now.

How about you? Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. And don’t think your talents are limited. Examine your mind and what other things you like to do in life and are good at. It might just be the key to adding another dimension to you and perhaps another source of income to help you get ahead in this crappy economic time. Take care of you. Be creative. You can do it!

https://www.makingmusicwitheve.weebly.com

https://www.avon.com/repstore/eczaja

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