Happy August! This week I attended the Pittsburgh Folk Festival at Our Lady of Victory, sang for the Michaelmas Festival Mass to honor St. Michael at Our Lady of Grace, celebrated my mom’s birthday, attended my future step-sister’s bridal shower, and saw both Amy Grant and Don McLean in concert.
What a week.
I’ll start with the highlight: I finally heard Don McLean perform “American Pie” live. Yes, it lived up to my dreams. And, yes, I was a blubbering mess.
“American Pie” has been one of my all-time favorite songs since I was first introduced to it at Interlochen Arts Camp in the summer of 1999 - the summer I really fell in love with singing. I learned it via osmosis, watching the camp counselors gather in a circle to sing it night after night. I had no idea what any of the lyrics meant, but the song was obviously catchy.
Years later in grad school, I did an entire presentation on the piece - its history, all of the references buried in the lyrics, its popular reception, and the critical discourse around it. Hearing Don McLean sing it all these years later - at 80 years old - was genuinely the experience of a lifetime.
It was also bittersweet. Last week, a 97-page report was released detailing decades of sexual abuse at Interlochen - both the camp and the school - dating back to the 1950s, including the involvement of Jeffrey Epstein.
For those unfamiliar, Interlochen is a distinguished performing arts boarding school and summer camp set in the idyllic Michigan woods about 35 minutes from Traverse City. It’s an extremely well-known and respected institution in the arts world, and I have so many friends and colleagues who have also attended.
That summer was the only time I ever stayed in a cabin (and loved it) - definitely glamping at its finest!
The report, though, was a gut punch. Many of us knew it was coming, but the full extent was shocking. In some ways, it felt like “the day the music died.”
But like the song, we keep on singing…
After seeing Don McLean, Amy Grant and Tim McGraw perform recently, I’ve been struck by something: even the megastars perform in old, unglamorous venues and then sleep in moving trailers as they head to their next gig. There is certainly a glamorous side to this profession - but most people never see just how unglamorous it truly can be.
That unglamorous reality extends to the practice room, too.
People want results. They want the glamour of the outcome - the thrill of performing, the excitement of the high note, and the validation of booking shows.
The unglamorous part, though, is where most of the musical journey lives.
It’s the tedious repetition. The singing when you don’t feel like it. The messy struggle of learning something new. The feelings of shame and “not enough” and “will I ever get this?” The wrestling with your own humanity alone in a practice room, in your bedroom, or in a cold hotel room as you try to sleep and come down from the high of having just received thunderous applause.
People only see the shiny tip of the iceberg. They don’t see the emotional work, the preparation, the loneliness, the sleepless nights, the toll it can all take on your nervous system. They don’t see everything it takes to create a polished product for the public.
Every artist you admire has done the unglamorous work. Every single one.
It is hard. And it is worth it.
If you’re ready to do the work this fall - the real, unglamorous, beautiful work of building your voice - I’d love to be in your corner. Reply to this email for more information on lessons, or book a Discovery Call here.
Have a beautiful day!
Be well and sing on,
Gina
P.S. Is there a song you've been wanting to see live for decades? I'd love to know what it is!
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