Ramona M. Wis Cloudiness on Groundhog Day is a good thing because, legend has it, this means the groundhog will not see its shadow and Voila! No more winter! We might be rooting for clouds today, but cloudiness of a different kind—lack of clarity or understanding—can obscure our best work. How frustrating to not be able to “see,” in any […]
Wellness
The Conductor as Yogi: Healing
Ramona M. Wis I have become even more aware of the power of words, including the words of the pieces we study and prepare with our choirs. This past fall, we chose pieces that helped us to process the issues and challenges of our current world. The words of Kyle Pederson’s powerful work, “Can We Sing the […]
The Conductor as Yogi: The Eyes Have It
I received a new webcam from Santa this year (thanks, Santa!). My previous model worked fine but this one tracks my movements so whether I sit, stand, or go to my yoga mat, I can be seen fully by my students. Pretty cool, and certainly less distracting than constantly adjusting tech during rehearsal. But one thing a […]
Menopause Changes Women’s Singing Voices – What We Know Now
By Nancy Bos, Cate Frazier-Neely, and Joanne Bozeman Millions of women around the world are on the same path, and we no longer need to walk that path alone. Working together gives us a better understanding of the vocal issues women might face and how to minimize them. Singing during the years around menopause can […]
The Conductor as Yogi: An End and A Beginning
We are wrapping up this year—and what a year. It is typical now to look back and to look forward, considering the past and planning for the future. In our current world, the past is revealing on so many levels and the future is still (always) a question mark. When I began this blog in late June, […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Restock the “Well”
Ramona M. Wis I remember when our daughter would come home from college at the end of each school year and seemingly slept for 2 weeks. There was this huge release from an “always-on” pace, countless activities and responsibilities, heavy intellectual, artistic, and emotional challenges, and the pressures of proving oneself in an academic and professional […]