I’m taking extensive notes in the masterclasses and taping everything I possibly can. My big relevation today is that we tend to rely too much on recordings (people making notational mistakes from recordings - even if you aren’t practicing with them - just stuff we pick up secondhand, as it were). Also, try what the composer has on the page (ie. rests for me - I was glossing over a few), as there’s usually a reason for what’s there - for acting as well as musically. I just spent the better part of an hour rerecording a “melody only” tape of all my arias, just to be sure all the pitches were there. I’m going home to hum (closed ng, that is, for my new space that I’m finding) to it, just to double check things. I’ve already found 2 spots in different pieces where the pitches aren’t quite perfect.



The best thing overall that we’ve done so far is acting class - not just coaching, but regular acting classes, as well as movement. We all start the morning off together in a yoga/dance class - we actually sweated big time this am (Thursday), making up dance steps to “Shake Senora” - that song from the end of the movie “Beetlejuice”. But the bulk of the class is yoga style breath and strengthening, along with a short ballet barre so we learn to move gracefully on stage. My teacher from home is the diction instructor and alreaady notices more of a freedom in my breathing. The closest thing I can think of commercially is Rodney Yee’s AM Yoga for Beginners - some of the breathing stretches and poses are on there.



I’ve had other relevations of a personal nature - AW related, that I need to work through and share at a later time.