Breaking the Rules

For years, I trained. Even vibrato, pure vowels, verticle space, follow the conductor, watch the stick, not too much portimento, no straight tone...unless the composition was written in the seventeenth century, banish the chest, balance the body, work the form, focus... I crafted, I worked for perfection...trained.

Then one morning, I woke up...Is art or beauty the product of rules and restraint? maybe...you can't argue with Balanchine's technique or Stradivarius' form. But there is more to progress and art than a theory professor can impart. One part technique, one part practice, one part PURE talent, one part passion, mix that all together and add in the ability to throw it all away, if that's what it takes to sing the song that pulses through your veins.

That's where I am today. Paid my dues, mastered the rules, making my own choices now. Taking the music OFF the page, out of the abstract and living it. Everyday.

What is it? Where does it fit? It is the breath I breathe, the life within me, the story I have to tell. Like everyone, I can't be labeled with one brand - too many fit, but none encompass all that I am. So, I choose not to choose. I'm a bit classical, a bit world, a dash of soul, a dollop of theatre, swirl in some pop and finish it off with a splash of spirituality, still...not done adding...I hope I never am. I guess that's what makes life interresting. It's not where you come from, where you are or even where you're going....it's the evolution of the whole person that makes the journey so fascinating. learn the rules, follow the rules, earn the right to choose.