New Instrument

Hello! Thanks for reading another blog post from me, the Ladybug Speaker! If you haven't already watched any of my YouTube videos, feel free to check out my page! Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdKzBVkDZnqsD8fPuxW-XvA

I'm documenting random moments of my life through youtube videos, up until my 30th birthday. By January 9th, 2017, I plan to have at least 1000 vlogs (video logs) uploaded. Most of the videos are quick, under 3 minutes. I talk about whatever is on my mind, usually relationships and health/beauty. Watch a few, share a few, or leave a comment during your down time. Please let me know your point of view on some of the topics I touch on!

In this blog, I want to share with you the new instrument I'm learning how to play. I played the recorder in grammar school... Does that even count?? LOL! It's no the piano, the drums, or the guitar. It's actually my own voice. I've been taking voice lessons for a week and I'm really enjoying them. Here at my university, (Baldwin Wallace), we have a prestigious Conservatory of Music. Our music program is as equally popular if not more, as our undergrad program. There are several top rated singers and musicians who offer voice lessons to non-music majors at a discounted price.

Why not take advantage of the amazing resources in my own backyard? That's what I'm doing. I never thought I'd take voice lessons. I don't have a background in singing, and I never had much interest in singing professionally or leisurely. However, I am an artist. I need to express myself. Whether it's through speech, poetry, or song, I must release my thoughts through a creative channel.

My instructor is a man named Bob who has been singing for 50+ years. He sang for me the Lord's Prayer last week at our first session. I was in tears. His voice was heavenly, powerful, and astounding. He introduced me to several singers/musicians that I was unfamiliar with including Joni Mitchell, Charlie Mingus, and Nina Simone. I've heard Nina Simone before, but I was unaware that she was a world class pianist before she started singing. He let me listen to her sing "Papa Can You Hear Me," and once again I was in tears. It wasn't her voice that touched my soul, it was her emotion.

What Bob told me about singing is, it's not about who has the best voice. It's about who speaks straight from the heart. It's about being vulnerable, telling a story, and connecting your emotion through the song to your audience.

I've always had a fear of being vulnerable. When I took acting classes at the Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio, my coach would always tell me to stop worrying about looking stupid. I told Bob and he agreed by saying, "Stupid is good!" I laughed. I'm excited to push my voice to places I never could. My dad was a great singer. He could harmonize and hit the highest falsetto notes with ease. I also have a cousin who has a naturally gifted singing voice. Now is my chance to explore my voice.

What I'm noticing about singing is that breathing plays a vital role in the process. Air is such an important part of singing. I'm also noticing that I have zero vibrato. In my own words, vibrato is that wiggly sound at the end of a note. Whitney Houston had a great vibrato. I'll probably never have any portion of my voice compared to hers, I was just giving an example. But who knows, maybe Bob will bring something to life that I never knew existed. We'll surely find out soon enough.

I'm not afraid to try new things. I'm not afraid of what people will say, and frankly I couldn't care less. We often second guess taking risks because of what we think others will say, or because of what they say when we share our dreams. For me, those days are over. Not that I ever listened to anyone anyway. I'm doing this for me. I'm doing something new to get to know myself even more.

What's something that you've always wanted to do? Are you going to do it? I hope so! Then tell me about! Thanks for reading!