It’s the final stretch of summer. August always feels a little discombobulating to me. I’m in full-on summer mode this year until mid-September, but right now is also back-to-school season. Even though I no longer teach in a school, my brain organizes itself around the academic year. I feel like I should be buying new clothes, books, and school supplies. Anyone else?
This weekend, a beautiful Voce Solis choir concert lifted my heart and soul. Congratulations to my many friends who participated! I also sang in a quartet at First Friday Mass at St. Bernard’s and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at F.N.B. Stadium for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
If you haven’t seen my social media lately and want a good laugh, check out my anthem performance. This one comes complete with trains, boats, and carnival music!
The TLDR: the moment I started singing the anthem, I was joined by blaring horns and carnival music that were neither in my key nor tempo.
All weekend, people have been asking me about the experience:
How did you keep going?
How did you keep a straight face?
How did you stay on key?
I didn’t break. I didn’t laugh. I didn’t cry.
And I desperately wanted to do all three!
This was genuinely one of the most difficult (and terrifying!) performances of my life. It was also the most hilarious! But here’s the thing: these games are televised. When you’re on live, meticulously timed television, you don’t have the luxury of stopping, waiting for the background noise to pass, and starting over. I had to keep going.
It was truly a miracle that I stayed anywhere near in tune, and it was all thanks to prayer, focus, and preparation.
I had put in my reps. My body had an established muscle memory for the song. I maintained my focus, concentrating as much as possible on the job at hand - not on the enormous distractions behind me. And I prayed. I prayed really hard. At some point, I realized that I could only do my best and released the outcome. There was so much about this situation that was completely outside of my control.
And so I sang. And sang. And sang.
Somehow I got through it without going off-pitch or bursting out laughing and lived to tell the tale.
That’s the thing about performing. There will always be elements of the unexpected to deal with. Hopefully they won’t be as glaringly obvious as a carnival boat crashing your national anthem, but surprises will always come. Something always has the potential to throw you.
The more prepared you are, the more equipped you are to handle the inevitable stressors and distractions. The more you’ve done your part, the more you can trust yourself to deal with the unforeseen. The more you can problem-solve in the moment, the more flexible and resilient you become.
When I was a senior in high school, my beloved grandfather passed away in the middle of my college audition process. I sang for his funeral. To this day, it’s one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. It taught me that I can do hard things - really hard things.
So whether that was singing at my Nana’s funeral six months ago or competing with merry-go-round music in front of a sold-out crowd of six thousand people last Saturday, I’ve learned how to step up and get through. These experiences don’t break you; they build you.
That’s what consistent training and practice actually prepare you for - not over weeks or months, but over years and decades.
If you’re ready to build a voice that can handle whatever comes - a voice that's resilient in the face of challenge and rehearsed for the unexpected - reply to this email for more information on fall lessons, or book a Discovery Call here.
Have a beautiful day!
Be well and sing on,
Gina
P.S. How do you deal with distractions? I'd love to hear all your tips!
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