"Mise en place" For Singers

I have always had a strange fascination with chefs. When I was young I used to watch the original Iron Chef and that later morphed into a love of any cooking or baking show. I love the Great British Baking Show and the late Anthony Bourdain is one of my greatest non-musical inspirations. One idea that I love from the cooking world is the idea of “mise en place”.

“Mise en place” is the art of organization before you cook. It can also be defined as “establishment”. As an obsessively organized person, I find mise en place to be extremely helpful and useful.

In cooking there are five steps to mise en place:

1. Read the whole recipe.

2. Prep the work space.

3. Prep the equipment.

4. Gather ingredients.

5. Prep all ingredients in separate bowls and/or packages.

While the cooking is happening, as an ingredient is used, it is then put away. In addition, you are supposed to clean as you cook. This is all in an effort to make the cooking as efficient as humanly possible.

So, how does this apply to music?

Well, I believe this is not focused on enough.

We need to teach people how to learn music efficiently.

I know that there is great emphasis on making one piece really excellent. While I think that is a good thing, I also worry about how it translates to the reality of working class music making.

Working class singers normally do not have the privilege of a lot of time on their side. The highest paid opera singers in the world know contracts an average of two years before they will sing a piece. While we sometimes get this much time to work on or relearn something, there is also a deep truth about being a musician I feel like no one really discusses.

In order to be a good musician, you need to perform a lot.

Yes, this means taking A LOT of gigs when you start out.

This also means you need to be organized so that you can show up to those many gigs as your best self.

So here is my revision of mise en place for singers:

1. Read the whole recipe. Listen to multiple recordings of the piece you are singing. If a recording does not exist, give yourself an idea of the piece by playing through your part on the piano.

2. Prep the work space. Break the piece down into sections so it is easier to learn. If it’s an opera or other large work, break it down by scenes, arias, duets, etc. If it’s a shorter work, figure out good stopping and starting points.

3. Prep the equipment. Translate your piece if it’s in a different language, and begin to learn the notes. Focus only on getting the pitches down.

4. Gather ingredients. Start working in the other aspects of the piece: Dymanics, articulation, etc.

5. Prep all ingredients in separate bowls and/or packages. Add in the style and add your personal musical touches to the piece.

Now you’re ready to go! Remember, your brain is limited, so give it one or two specific jobs at a time.

If you liked this article, check out my podcast here: Opera N’ Coffee.

Best Practices for Training Young Non-Binary Voices

Teaching non-binary students has been some of the most creative and rewarding work I have ever done as a voice teacher. It has also presented a lot of very unique challenges that I feel are not being addressed or discussed as much as I think they should be.

Before I dive into the nitty-gritty of this blog post I want to state that I am a cisgender woman. My pronouns are she/her. I also would like to state that these practices stem from my personal experience as a teacher with this perspective. I am open to learning as much as I can about this particular subject. I have taught a lot of non-binary students, but I do not consider myself any sort of expert on this topic. This blog is simply to share practices that have worked for me in the hope that it will help other teachers.

1. Educate yourself/make no assumptions.

   Sometimes this means having some sort of formal education. For example, at my day job, we have specific trainings that address the needs of the LGBTQIA+ population. However, there are also many resources online.

   The greatest resource you have is the art of conversation. Find friends in the business who are non-binary and are willing to talk about their experiences with you. This is the single most valuable form of education there is on this subject.

2. Ask for pronouns of ALL students in your first lesson with them. Then, honor those pronouns.

   When I get a new student, this is one of the first questions on my intake form:

   “What are your pronouns?”

   I keep a teaching journal where I write down goals, exercises, repertoire, etc. for each student. Since I have started teaching a larger number of non-binary students, I have started to also write their pronouns next to their names weekly. This helps me remember their pronouns, and honor them consistently.

3. Listen, Listen, Listen.

   Non-binary students have very varied goals when it comes to their careers as artists. Since I work primarily with young college students who aspire to professional careers in musical theatre, I ask them a lot of questions about what their career goals are. This will give you an idea of how to direct their voice lessons. Work consistently to listen to them with an open mind rather than jumping to rash conclusions based in the traditional ideas surrounding the voice.

4. Begin the vocal training where you believe the speaking voice is most prominent.

   This is something I think is extremely important for all students, and I also understand it is based in my personal technical philosophy. One thing I really emphasize with my students is a healthy use of the voice. This means an understanding of how the mechanism works. In my opinion, you need to understand how the mechanism of the voice works naturally before making any sort of result-based artistic choices. I make this very clear with all of my students from the beginning. Approach technique from that angle, and as understanding builds you can aid the student in healthy artistic choices to reach their goals.

5. Refer to voice types (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, etc.) rather than “men’s voices” and “women’s voices”.

   This is something I have been working very hard to train myself out of. Voice type and gender are not synonymous, nor were they ever synonymous. For example, Michael Maniaci and Okamoto Chitaka are both cisgender men who are sopranos. The construct of “male voices” and “female voices” is extremely gendered and old fashioned. It is something we need to try to actively remove from our statements as teachers.

   Additionally, voice type is a determination based on range, passaggio,, and other timbre-based attributes. So some students may also identify as multiple voice types especially if they are in any type of hormone based therapy. This is also fine, and something to be embraced. Again, this means open dialogue about the students’ goals must be clear and discussed frequently.

6. Allow vocal experimentation and fluidity.

   If a student comes into their lesson one day, and wants to try something completely different than what they normally sing, I generally allow them to do that. (As long as it is not going to be extremely adverse to their vocal development.)

   In my experience, many young non-binary students are not only trying to find their voice in a physical sense, they are also trying to figure out who they want to present as to the world. This can mean that they have a very fluid and/or amalgamous understanding of their gender. This needs to be honored in order for the relationship between the teacher and student to be one of trust.

7. Think outside of the repertoire box.

   In early musical theatre and vaudeville, music was often written in a general key and then the singer asked the pianist or band to play the song in the key that best suited their voice. This is a practice that has gone on for a very long time and has been extremely helpful for my non-binary musical theatre students when approaching all repertoire.

   In addition, look for pieces that easily transcend voice type, or where the range can be easily adjusted. In classical music, this is also a fairly typical practice. (i.e. The 24 Italian Art Songs and Arias being available in low and high keys.) Sometimes this takes a bit more time, but it is well worth the benefit for the student.

   In general, look at the voice as its own entity and the song as its own entity rather than a gendered entity.

8. Create a space where safe, open dialogue can occur consistently.

   I have had a number of students identify as non-binary later in their study with me. Some have chosen to openly disclose this, and others have not. Keeping the dignity of the student is paramount in either of these cases. If a student does openly reveal that they are non-binary begin a conversation about where they would like to go as an artist. Some helpful questions include:

   “What kind of roles do you want to be known for?”

   “What is a result you want from your voice?”

   “Is there any new repertoire you would like to explore?”

As with any student, the general goals of vocal study do not change. We all want our students to have good technique resulting in a command of their unique instrument, as well as a strong artistic viewpoint.

However, it is also our job to create an environment where these students are seen, heard, and can find who they are as an artist and that takes a commitment to open communication and maintaining the students’ dignity at all times.

How about you? What are some techniques you find helpful in teaching non-binary voices? Visit me on IG @operancoffee and DM me your thoughts.

For more on this and many other subjects pertaining to the voice, take a listen to my podcast: Opera N’Coffee!

Announcing my new podcast!

I have been kicking around the idea of a podcast for about six months. I finally decided to dive into making one!

Presenting the Opera N’ Coffee Podcast!

An Open Letter: Why I Have Chosen to Leave Facebook and Twitter

Dear Reader,

As of September 1st, 2020 I have chosen to leave both Facebook and Twitter.

            There was a part of me that wanted to just slip away quietly. I wanted to disappear into the ether of the Internet in a cyber sort of Irish goodbye. However, I felt that this action would not be fair to the many people who have followed me on these platforms for years. As humans, we crave closure, and that is what I am prepared to give.

The following is a comprehensive set of reasons why I am leaving Facebook and Twitter and an explanation as to why I am choosing to also maintain Instagram for the time being.

As a note, I know that many of you get a lot out of social platforms for various reasons. I do not deny that there can be a lot of good that comes out of these platforms for certain people. They are places where people who are suffering from rare illnesses feel heard and seen, as well as places to easily mobilize groups to combat social injustice. If you are a person who is staying on social media for these (or any other reasons), I commend you. I am not, in any way, shape, or form trying to persuade you to join my position. This is merely a personal choice for which I am offering an explanation.

            First, as a good Irish descendent, I need to tell a story:

My Grandpap Jones was one of the most influential, important people in my life. I lost him in 2018 to Alzheimer’s disease, but his lessons still stick with me. Many of his words run deep in my bones. My Grandpap was the master of tough conversations and of lasting, deep relationships. He was the kind of person I strive to be in my life and work.

            My Grandpap also smoked these unique, cigar-like clove cigarettes. (As a note, the scent of clove invokes a really intense sense memory of my Grandpap.) It was his guilty pleasure, up until the 90’s when my very precocious little sister decided to tell him:

“Grandpap, you should quit smoking because I don’t want you to die.”

            And my Grandpap quit. Cold turkey. He didn’t smoke another cigarette for the last 20+ years of his life.

            My sister called my grandfather out on his bad behavior, and he did something about it. He saw the error of his ways and he made a conscious choice to do the right thing.

            So this is what I endeavor to do. I want to do what I feel is the right thing.

Here are a comprehensive list of reasons why I am choosing to leave Facebook and Twitter

1.     Facebook and Twitter are the most personally problematic for me.

Between all of the major platforms, I tend to only serially scroll on Facebook and Twitter. I also realized that I have been on Facebook for nearly 14 years. Something I thought would be a college fad continued well past college into my adult years and beyond. I have stopped and restarted Twitter more than a few times, but I always end up equally addicted each time. In addition, I have done my share of 30 day Facebook detoxes, and it never seems to totally kick my problematic behavior.

2.     The recent anti-trust events regarding Mark Zuckerburg, CEO of Facebook.

If you’ve been listening lately to the news outlets, Mark Zuckerburg has basically admitted to extremely problematic and in some cases, truly unethical behavior. Here’s a link to watch the hearing:

https://youtu.be/PvLtwV7DFwg

Watch some of these highlights of the recent anti-trust case hearings to get an idea of what is going on with these big tech companies. It’s really terrifying that we have companies this rich and powerful in an age when so many are truly suffering.

3.     The continuing polarization of the political parties in the United States.

I don’t think it’s a secret that people have gotten more polarized in the past ten years. There has been a rise in extreme left and extreme right politics, as well as really problematic issues surrounding the ethical ideas regarding what kinds of false news should be allowed and not allowed on these platforms. After reading Jaron Lanier’s book, Ten Arguments to Delete Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, I really struggled with my use of these platforms. I agree with Lanier that there needs to be a group of people who can stand on the outside and be the voice of reason. Lanier is a Silicon Valley mainstay, and has been since the 1980’s. Although I don’t agree with everything he says, I believe he makes same very poignant arguments against social media use. The most compelling argument he makes is about the algorithms and how they favor extreme negative reactions. This is why we are seeing a rise in white supremacy and the consistent spread of fake news.

4.     I don’t want to be a bite-sized advice influencer.

The main reason it has taken me so long to decide to take this aggressive step is due to the conventional wisdom of artist promotion in the modern world. Modern artists, including myself, have long stated (and regurgitated our training) in the importance of social media regarding artistic promotion. Where I find issue with this is that I have found many a successful artist who is not deeply imbedded in the world of social media. Often they are producing far more interesting and compelling work. They don’t feel a constant need to feed the machine of social media. One of my favorite examples is Alexandra Franzen. Franzen is a freelance writer and entrepreneur. She left social media years ago and continues to run a thriving business despite having no social media presence. She is an example that it’s just a matter of more innovative thinking to market and promote without the use of social media.

5.     I don’t want my future children to see me using these platforms.

When I think back to the example of my sister and Grandpap, I see that I was learning a very important lesson at a young age. Children see what adults do, and then they follow suit. In addition, children understand injustice. They know right from wrong and are far less inhibited than most adults in expressing their opinions. I was a public school teacher, and taught young children in various capacities for the first 8 years of my career. In my experience kids are both sponge-like and perceptive. They see exactly what we do and they make very conscious choices based on what they see. They try out behaviors on themselves because an adult they like and trust does the same thing. If another adult doesn’t agree, they test the boundary. Sometimes this is good, and sometimes not, but this is how kids learn. I do not want my future children to pick up my bad habits. Namely, I don’t want them to think that social media usage is healthy or normal. I want them to be able to see, touch, and experience the world beyond the screen of a smartphone.

6.     To improve my mental health, and create a general state of happiness.

I’m tired of the constant state of disappointment and lack of motivation I live in on a daily basis, and I know I’m not alone. Cal Newport talks about this extensively in his work, especially his most recent book, Digital Minimalism. We live in a constant state of distraction, which hurts our mental agility, and therein damages our ability to have a certain quality of life. The real way to get to the other side of this is to opt out. To move into a space outside of distraction, and find real, tangible meaning in things beyond these problematic platforms.

As a final note: I get a lot out of Instagram. Selfishly speaking, it’s the only social media platform my family is on consistently. I feel like I am in much more control of my account on Instagram. I control carefully who and what I follow, and therefore my use of it is far less compulsive than Twitter and Facebook. I understand that Instagram is also a company owned by Facebook, and I will admit that my opinions may change.

However, for now I am choosing stay on Instagram. If you would like to follow me on Instagram, my handle is @operancoffee.

I am deactivating my Facebook, so you will still be able to message me, but I will not be visible on the platform. I realize that many of you used only Messenger to communicate with me, so I do not want to completely delete my account until I have more people connected with me off of these platforms.

If you were an avid follower of me on Facebook and Twitter and want to stay in touch, another option is to join my email list. I only send a newsletter on the first day of each month. You can sign up at the bottom of this post.

You are also welcome to email me directly at candice.shaughnessy@gmail.com.

Are You a Bored Musician Practicing Social Distancing? Here's a Fun List of 30 Things to Do

We are in a tough moment right now in the United States. Many of us are stuck in our houses, working and taking care of kids. We’re trying to keep ourselves occupied and not consume too much of the 24 hour news cycle. I decided to cut back on my social media use during this pandemic so I can get some things done and just generally take care of my mental health. Over the past few days I’ve come up with a list of fun things to do that don’t involve social media. Then I thought, “I should share this with my people!”

30 things to do during social distancing that are not scrolling on social media for 10 hours:

1.     Practice a really difficult piece of music. Check out IMSLP for free pieces to work on.

2.    Cook something interesting with whatever you have in the house. All recipes is a great place to look.

3.    Take an online class. There are so many great classes out there on platforms like Teachable and Skillshare.

4.    Rework your resume/bio/cover letter/ repertoire list/etc.

5.    Clean something.

6.    Organize your music.

7.    Take a walk (if you are able to still leave your house.)

8.    Take a nap.

9.    Sign up for an online yoga class. (I’m a personal fan of Bread and Yoga in NYC.)

10.  Watch a tutorial on how to make or fix something on YouTube. (And then actually fix it. I mean, that’s the point!)

11.   Write a short story. Here are some prompts to get you started.

12.  Color and/or draw.

13.  Repair all of those clothes you’ve been meaning to sew.

14.  Learn to knit.

15.  Take a bubble bath.

16.  Do a puzzle.

17.  Do your laundry.

18.  Download and play a really immersive video game. (I’m currently playing Final Fantasy IX)

19.  Clean out your closet.

20. Order those things online you’ve been putting off for months.

21.  Unsubscribe from email lists that junk up your inbox.

22. Teach something online.

23. Bake something complicated. (See above link for Allrecipes.)

24. Do your taxes.

25.  Read a book. Check out the Hoopla and Libby apps since most libraries are closed.

26.  Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon

27.  Try a new makeup technique.

28.  Try a new workout online. DownDog’s Barre classes are free right now. I did one this morning.

29.  Rewatch a Favorite Show. I’m currently rewatching Parks and Recreation because it’s madly genius.

30.  Watch this video of Nick Offerman eating hot wings.

Other Resources from some of my favorite humans:

A friend of mine forwarded this great resource for musicians struggling due to this mess.

Marie Forleo wrote a great blog with more ideas.

Friends, what ideas do you have? Leave some ideas in the comments!

How to Win the "Should" Battle With Yourself: A Discussion About Strengths vs. Weaknesses

Why is this not working?

What’s wrong with me?

What am I doing wrong?

I “should” be good at this/more grateful/better… etc.

Sound familiar? This is a taste of the tape that played in my head throughout my twenties, and I know I’m not alone in this kind of self-deprecation.

I am a person who obsesses over what I do poorly rather than what I do well. Many studies show that this is a common trait amongst most humans. We are wired to obsess over our weaknesses rather than our strengths.

Therefore, I’ve never been the type of person to really dig into my strengths. Then again, I don’t think most of us are wired to dig into our strengths.

Think about it. Most of our lives are spent working on correcting mistakes rather than digging into what we do well. We literally sit and practice writing letters over and over again in kindergarten in an effort to make them as perfect as possible. As musicians, this is taken to an extreme. We literally pay thousands of dollars to go to college for 2-10 years so we can be told what we are doing wrong.

It is an ingrained habit to look at our weaknesses and try to fix them.

However, in an effort to do that, we often discount something equally important: our strengths.

I am currently taking a business class. One of the assignments today was to take a test to find out what our innate strengths are. At first, I balked.

A $20 to find out my strengths? That’s dumb. I don’t want to pay money for something like that!

But, I also knew I made a commitment to myself to be all in on this course. So I begrudgingly paid the $20 and took the test. My results were extremely eye opening.

They made me realize why I really hate doing certain things but really love doing other things.

They made me realize why I like teaching certain populations more than others.

They made me realize why certain work really drains me and other work truly fuels me.

They made me realize why I can get so miserable when I don’t take time to do certain things for myself.

As musicians, I really think a lot of us get bogged down in how we can fix our weaknesses. Meanwhile, our strengths are also something to really appreciate and celebrate.

Our strengths also give us vital information. They tell us how we are wired so we can perform optimally and efficiently.

And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to do something more optimally and efficiently?

If you are interested, here is the link to the test to find out your top five strengths. Needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Did you like this nugget of wisdom? Join me on Twitter at @operancoffee or join my mailing list for more nuggets. Nuggets of wisdom. Not chicken nuggets. Or gold nuggets. Or any other kind of a nugget.

Private Lesson Studio Workbook

“So what do you teach?”

I turned to look at the drum line instructor. At the time I was a junior in college working as a tech for a local high school marching band. I knew this guy owned a music store. I had never wanted to teach private lessons, but I was also a poor college student. The thought of making money teaching music in any capacity was enticing.

“Well, voice… and I can probably teach some beginner piano…”

That was the beginning of my journey into teaching private music lessons. Fast forward to a little more than a decade later and I’ve made most of my career/living from teaching private lessons. I’ve had students build careers in regional theaters and attend college for music. I now teach for a musical theater conservatory.

I often get a lot of questions about starting a private lesson business:

“How do I find students?”

“How much should I charge?”

“What kinds of things do I need to consider when planning a recital?”

I remember having a lot of questions about this myself. So, I decided to write the next workbook in my series on how to build a private lesson studio. This workbook is only $15 and contains a ton of helpful information including:

• How to price your lessons

• What instruments or subjects to teach

• Pros and Cons of teaching locations

• How to best serve students/parents

• How to market your new business

• And more!

Did you find this workbook helpful? Consider joining my email list and you will receive a free artistic career jumpstart guide!

Growth Mindset and Getting a Little Uncomfortable

Yoga has been a hobby of mine for the past 16 or so years. I remember the first time I ever practiced yoga. My middle school physical education teacher wheeled an old TV set into our gym class and popped in a fuzzy old tape. I remember being fascinated by the pretzel like poses and the meditative music. One of my childhood friends found a few more tapes and DVDs. We would set up with towels in her living room and follow the calm looking people in yoga pants. I soon bought a cheap little kit with a mat and began to practice on my own.

I didn’t attend an actual yoga class until I got to college. A bunch of us gathered a a small room at the McKenna Center on Seton Hill University’s campus. We were all confused and tried very hard to keep up, but I also remember feeling interested and liberated. For a while after college I was really into Vinyasa Yoga, and during my years studying Tang Soo Do I primarily practiced yoga at home.

Later, when first I moved to New York, I took the opportunity to try as many varieties of yoga as possible: Yin, Ashtanga, Iyengar (my personal favorite), Hatha, Restorative, etc.

So, I am not incredible, or even amazing at yoga, but… I do not consider myself a beginner.

Today I went to Hatha Flow 2. This class was something new to me. I knew it was for more advanced practitioners and also I knew it was not a class where the teacher was not going to hold my hand.

Honestly, it totally kicked my butt.

I haven’t been to a yoga class that intense since my early Vinyasa days. This morning, as I felt sweat pour down my face and back I was doing everything in my power to stay in the poses and breathe.

To say the least, it was uncomfortable.

Then, like every yoga class, I felt like a million bucks when I was done.

So, why should I bother telling you about my difficult yoga experience?

I think we have a frightening trend in modern society. We are deeply afraid of being uncomfortable. In fact, we do everything in our power to avoid discomfort. I think in many ways, that it simply human nature. We, as humans, want to be comfortable.

However, comfort and growth hardly ever coexist.

Growth usually involves some level of discomfort or some level of struggle. You may feel better or come out stronger on the other side, but it takes some difficulty and discomfort first.

If you are a pianist, think of the first time you played a C scale. It was not easy. If you played piano, you had to get the cross-over and under of your fingers. Eventually, after you worked through all of the mistakes, that C scale became second nature. We often forget that when we learned it at first, it was really difficult.

Another piece of growth is that it never stops. This morning my constant thought was, “I am no beginner at this, but this is so hard!”

I know, as a singer I have definitely felt that way about certain pieces of music. I’ve been singing most of my life but there is always some piece of music out there with some technical issue I have yet to resolve.

So, here is my question for you:

What discomfort are you avoiding to help yourself grow?

Thanks for reading! Click the button below to join my email list and receive your free Artistic Career Jumpstart Guide for 2020!



Advice, Opinions, Discernment, and a Trick to Cut Through All of the Noise

“Be wise.”

This is my Mom’s favorite catch phrase. When I was younger and struggling with a decision, or I was unsure about advice I had been given this was (and still is) my Mom’s favorite line. My parents really valued raising my sister and I in an environment where we were encouraged to question things and form our own opinions.

Today, I want to discuss something that I’ve been digging into a lot lately, and that is discernment.

Discernment is defined by the dictionary as “the ability to judge well.” It is something I feel we do not talk about enough in the world of the arts, especially relating to advice. I also want to express my sincere feeling that there are a lot of well meaning people in the arts. They are honest, good people and they want to help you be the best musician you can be. However, often we are confronted with situations where well meaning advice doesn’t feel like it works or applies to us.

As musicians we are trained from a very young age to put our musical selves into the hands of other people. Our parents hire private teachers for us. We are trained to follow their advice implicitly. We are given assignments and it is our job to execute them for the next lesson with precision. Literally, we are trained to follow advice. Then, when we become mature musicians, we start to question things.

Questioning held beliefs is an important part of growing up and becoming who you really are.

However, as stated previously, we are wired, from a young age, to follow the advice of our teachers. This often causes intense inner conflict.

For example:

“That doesn’t feel right, but my teacher says I should do it that way.”

“They say I should focus on this part of my career, but that doesn’t fit my passions and the life I want.”

“They say I can only perform these roles, but I feel like I could really say something performing these other roles.”

At this moment you are faced with a choice. Do I follow my gut instinct or the advice I’ve been given?

Before I continue, let me just say that sometimes tough love is necessary and real. You need to be open to the advice given to you and able to look at yourself objectively. Sometimes you do need to follow hard advice. However, I also think it’s important to look deeply and honestly at what you want, who you are, and what is actually helpful.

Here is a short list of tips to aid your discernment:

1. Walk away from the situation or “sleep on it”. Sometimes we get advice that is difficult. It may not be clear whether or not the advice works for us or applies to us. In that situation, I think it is wisest to walk away. Your brain and body need time to process the information before you go into any kind of action. Decisions about these things need to be made from a calm, rational place.

2. Look at the situation as objectively as possible. Sometimes the most objective thing I can do after a difficult conversation with someone is say this to myself: “It’s just an opinion.” Because, at the end of the day, that’s what it is. An opinion. Another phrase I find helpful is: “It’s just information”. I find that these two phrases help my brain to be more objective about the situation at hand rather than jumping to conclusions.

3. Consider the source. Who is giving you this advice? What do they actually do? What kind of career have they had? Do they hold the same values as you? Ask yourself these questions, or ones that are similar.

As a note: When you go to a store to buy clothes, you usually try them on. It is also okay to also try on ideas in the same way. There is stuff that looks great on the hanger or on other people, then you put it on and it just doesn’t work on your body. Some ideas work great for your colleagues, family, or friends, but not for you. That is okay. It looks great on the hanger and on someone else, but it just doesn’t look good on you. That is normal.

…and finally, the most helpful trick to cut through all of the advice and noise:

Write out your thoughts.

I will openly admit, I love to write. Journaling is one of my favorite pass times. There is something about writing your thoughts down in an unedited way that settles your mind and helps you to parse things out in an objective manner. Take these three questions and free write your answers. Do not edit, do not try to make it sound good. Just write. After you’ve written, take a walk and then go back to what you’ve written and read it. It will give you a whole, new perspective.

Thanks for reading! For more information on performances, teaching, and career building resources, please join Candice’s mailing list.



The Secret Sauce for Self-Confidence (and why it is so difficult for musicians)

Photo by MD Duran on Unsplash

“Why am I doing this?”

That is probably the line I say the most before I do something really scary. Whether it’s posting about my new business venture on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (a recent experience) or applying to a big competition, this is my brain’s favorite question.

Any artist knows this feeling well. It’s that gremlin in your brain saying all of those things that keep you from being the best that you can be. It’s that nasty voice preventing you from putting any art into the world.

For the record, I am an absolute introvert. I love being at home in my jammies with my cup of tea and a book. Outside of my career, I am an epically uninteresting person. That’s how I like life to be. At the same time, I became an artist because I feel strongly that I have something to say. My gremlin comes from a place of feeling like I should blend in, back up, be safe in my life and work. Mr. Gremlin wants me to be invisible.

Invisibility means safety.

However…

Art is not about safety. Art is about service.

Friends, I have learned that this thinking really serves absolutely no one. Not me, not my audience, not my students, not my family, not anyone. So here are things to consider moving forward when you are faced with any sort of I-shouldn’t-put-this-out-there-gremlin.

1. Who am I serving? : From a psychological standpoint, it is absolutely true that the gremlin is your ego talking. Your ego is connected to your amygdala (The part of your brain that controls fight or flight). The amygdala has a very important job. She keeps you safe from danger. However, she can also stop you in your tracks in getting art into the world. The amygdala does not know the difference between a polar bear attacking you and singing for an audition. In addition, one of our deepest vulnerabilities as humans is being socially ostracized. In caveman times, your survival was based on your place within your social circle. We are, at our core, social animals. However, botching an audition will likely not ruin your entire existence as it did for your distant ancestor. Keep this in mind moving forward.

2. Dig for why you are afraid. Be brutally honest with yourself.
   Many times when I dig into my fears, they are there because someone said something to me in the past that made me want to hide. More than once this has been a childhood memory. Reality checking a threat almost always makes a huge difference.

3. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?”
   One year I was very freaked out about doing the Metropolitan Opera Districts. I knew I was among the least experienced in the group. After expressing my fears to my coach, he said this phrase: “What’s the worst that could happen?” I stopped and thought about it. My reply was something along the lines of, “I make a complete mess and fool of myself.” His response was, “Then you try again next year!” It really made me realize how ridiculous my fears were. If you do, in fact, make a fool of yourself there will be other options in the future.

4. What do I gain if I don’t put this out in the world?
   One of my favorite authors says this all the time in his talks and it really sticks with me. Every time I answer this question the answer is always something like, “safety”. However, the next step of this question is, What could someone else gain if I did put this out into the world? Often, that question has much more interesting answers. They may gain courage, insight, knowledge, peace, etc. This almost always gets me to a point of putting something out into the world.

5. Skill will get you far, but courage will get you further.
   We all had a friend at some point in our lives who was the life of the party. Maybe we wondered why they were so magnetic. Let me tell you, it has nothing to do with looks, money, power, or prestige. It has everything to do with courage. Courage is at the core of self-confidence. If you are a courageous are trying things and putting yourself out there. You may get trolls. You may have people talk about you. You may be judged. But you choose courage and that is what people notice.

   
   As a final note…

   Musicians spend a lot of their lives building skill. Unfortunately, a lot of skill building involves correcting mistakes. Correcting mistakes causes people to hesitate for fear of making more mistakes. Soon mistakes = polar bear (see No. 1). This is another blog post to be elaborated on later, but I believe it’s important to mention. Because of the way musicians are trained, they fear mistakes. Courage is terrifying.
   
   If you make the conscious decision to be courageous, you are one of the few musicians to fight the impulse to hide, and that will, in turn, build your confidence.

Please friends, put your art into the world. Because today, someone may need it.

Thanks for reading! For more information on performances, teaching, and career building resources, please join Candice’s mailing list.

New Year, New Art, New Challenges

A few years ago, browsing through Facebook, I came across an article called “Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year”.

I remember reading the article and thinking to myself, “This is a great idea, but it’s also kind of terrifying.”

As an artist, rejection has been part of my life for a really long time. I remember auditioning for a touring musical theater group in my hometown when I was 11. When I got the rejection letter I remember the emotions well. Deep anger, resentment, and a heavy dose of “I’ll show ‘em”. I remember crying incessantly when I wasn’t accepted back to one of my first paid choir gigs after college. However, in each instance, some little voice told me to keep going.

So I did, and worked hard. I moved to New York City. I proved myself…

Then, about a year ago, I sent out a bunch of applications and got the biggest pile of rejections I have ever received in my life.

Years of hustle and burnout got to me, and I decided to lay off for awhile. I got my money in order, worked hard at my job, chose to lay low.

Under it all I was kind of desperate. I wanted to sing again. I wanted to act. I wanted to be on stage again.

I also saw this trend crop up with my colleagues and students. Fear. Paralyzing fear of being rejected.

Then I saw that article and I had an idea. “What if I try this, but also encourage others to go on this journey with me?”

So, that is what I decided to do. For 2020 I am conducting a 100 Rejection Challenge. I have a support group for anyone else interested in supporting each other through this process. Let’s get art made. Let’s get it out into the world, and start celebrating our artistic bravery.

Thanks for reading! For more information on performances, teaching, and career building resources, please join Candice’s mailing list.

What is your mission?

Music is the great love of my artistic life, but not far behind music is cooking and food. I love to cook and try new cuisines. I am obsessed with cooking and baking shows. The original Iron Chef from Japan, The Great British Baking Show, Nailed It… the random local lady on channel 13…

There is something about food and it’s way to nourish and connect us that has always fascinated me. However, through these last few weeks of the semester, I haven’t been great about cooking. Recently, I decided to get a Misfits Market subscription to encourage myself to cook.

Misfits Market is a really cool company. I love their mission. The elimination of food waste is something I care deeply about, and they have designed their product around it.

This brings to mind another often overlooked aspect of our lives as artists: Our mission.

What is your mission?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog on finding your “why”. I do think this is very important. Knowing “why” you do something is a very important step to figuring out what you want to do and how you make an impact in the world.

However, your mission is more specific. I would even argue it is the “what” and “how” on the outside of Simon Sinek’s circle. In fact, you can have many missions.

I recently visited Hyde Park, the former home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. On the grounds of Hyde Park is a museum full of interesting facts about FDR’s life and contribution. One of the most fascinating sections in the museum is the section on the New Deal. The New Deal was FDR’s plan to get the United States out of the slump of the Great Depression. It was controversial at the time, and remains so today. Whatever your views are on the New Deal, one thing was for certain. FDR was on a clear mission to get the United States out of the Great Depression. He even had a plan called 100 days of action to jumpstart the process.

The Great Depression was a huge national emergency. It needed some kind of action to be taken by the federal government. It wasn’t a perfectly executed plan, but the mission behind the plan was extremely clear.

While an artistic career is hardly comparable to the Great Depression, it makes me wonder how the same principles could be applied.

If the question, “What’s your mission?” doesn’t get you anywhere, try the question: “What do I feel passionately about?”

Many times, our mission comes out of anger due to an injustice, or passion for a project we want to see through to the end.

Some of my missions include:

• Exposure for women/female-identifying composers, non-binary composers, and composers of color.

• Exposure of new music to a more general audience.

• Ethically and morally sound vocal education.

• Concrete and self-sustaining vocal education.

• The proliferation and education of musical entrepreneurship

• Bringing a new vocal and visual aesthetic to my own performances

• Melding the modern world with the old art of opera

  Friends, share this post on social media and let the world know what your mission is. We all need a little inspiration now and again.

  Thanks for reading! For more information on performances, teaching, and career building resources, please join Candice’s mailing list.

The process of creation is more creation.

Years ago, I read an article mentioning the famous experiment from the book Art & Fear about quality and quantity. A professor divided a ceramics class into two groups. He told his students that one group would be graded on the quality of their work while the other group would be graded on the quantity of their work.

The quality group was to be graded on how beautiful they could make their pot, while the quantity group would be graded on the number of pots they made. In the end, the group producing the quantity created more beautiful pots than the quality group.

This experiment has always fascinated me, because I was almost always a quantity person in high school and college. I just wanted to make music. I wanted to make music any way possible, and wanted to make as much music as humanly possible. Then one day, a teacher of mine made a comment that still grates the inside of my soul to this day: “Stop trying to be the jack of all trades. Be the master of one.”

Maybe being the master of one has served certain people, but it has never served me.

I am a born connector. I am a person who finds the connection in seemingly disparate ideas. I used to play multiple instruments. I conduct. I orchestrate. I used to be a costume designer. I have been a stage manager. I have taught students from pre-school age all the way to late adulthood. I have taught public school, private lessons, and professionals. I have conducted professional and amateur groups. I have taught students from extremely poor families and extremely privileged families.

All of it has taught me something and helped me in some way.

I am really tired of hearing from people how we should all pick one thing to be/define ourselves as. As far as I am concerned, that thinking is old fashioned and fundamentally flawed. Additionally, it may work for some people, but not everyone. The more I learned, the better I became at everything.

Maybe I am just a curious person at heart. I think there is some truth to that. I read books on philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience for fun. But I have always been critical of the idea that we should all only master one skill set.

I think, years ago, mastering one thing might have been an option. Thinking about the passing of Jessye Norman, I often wonder if she did anything else with her time. I know many opera singers also paint or tinker in other visual arts. But the fact is, it is very hard to make a living only as a performer in the modern world.

I used to read a lot of autobiographies of famous opera singers who had their careers 20, 30, and 40 years ago. They often had someone really support them in the beginning of their career. Birgit Nilsson was given many opportunities in her home opera house. Maria Callas was brought up the ranks by Serafin. Now, there are not enough supporters for the number of good opera singers in the world. The opportunity to focus the way that they did is extremely rare.

So now, out of necessity in the modern age, we have little choice but to diversify. However, I think it also gives us an opportunity to bring a new viewpoint to our art. Possibly, a more well-rounded viewpoint.

This is also why I began to write extensively. I wanted to have as much artistic output as possible. Is it all fabulous? No. Is it all measurable? No. But, I am actively creating for the sake of creation.

So, my friends. Create. Create many things.

Thanks for reading! For more information on performances, teaching, and career building resources, please join Candice’s mailing list.



Perfectionism, Generation Z, and "Helpful" Technologies

When I was in elementary school, I tended to write with big round letters. I often couldn’t fit my writing into the spaces provided by teachers on worksheets. One day, while doing my homework, I was forced to turn a page sideways and write the rest of my sentence. My writing was just too big to fit everything I needed to say into the tiny space provided.

I was horrified.

I remember looking at my Mom and saying, “Mom, I had to write down the side of the page because my writing was too big!”. My Mom shrugged her shoulders and said, “That’s fine. It’s how you learn.”

If I have a moment where something is not perfect, I always stop and think of this moment. A kid who writes down the side of a page to get everything on their worksheet may not seem like a big deal, but it felt like a big deal to me. It felt like a big deal to me because, as a kid, I was a perfectionist.

Now, I identify as a recovering perfectionist. As an adult and a trained educator, I now know that perfectionism is the enemy of creation. The more perfect you try to be, the less creative you will be. This has been proven by science over and over again.

However, I see a frightening trend among the modern youth. There is a new obsession with perfectionism. An obsession that I definitely feel did not exist when I was young. I really believe this trend stems from constant, obsessive use of smartphones and social media. The students I have now have spent most of their lives glued to a screen that tells them, through external validation, whether they are “good enough”. This has forced them to seek it in every aspect of their lives.

I recently decided to take another break from social media and get away from using my phone constantly. I have definite issues with social media (I’ve written about it extensively before), but a lot of this new thinking comes after reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.

I still struggle with what to do with social media. It brings me readership and exposes people to my career building work but, I have noticed something really powerful over the last year.

I took a 30-day break from Facebook in January of 2019. I have tried to stay away from it since and I have totally destroyed my algorithm. (That was the intention.) I used to get thirty or so likes on everything I posted. Now, I’m lucky if I get 5-10. I loosened my rules around social media around April and didn’t think too much about it.

Then around a two weeks ago I noticed something really unsettling.

I was anxious, agitated, grumpy, and experiencing long bouts of insomnia. Things that had not been an issue since the fall of 2018.

The only thing that correlated with all of this, was that I had allowed my social media use to become compulsive once again. It aligned with all of the research and reading I have done on the subject. A section of Digital Minimalism caught my eye a few days ago. Newport mentions that a counselor at a university reported a huge spike in anxiety among her student population. It correlates with widespread smartphone use.

Before that, she reported that anxiety was relatively rare amongst her students.

So, my hunch is correct.

I have decided that I will refrain from traditional social media activities for the next thirty days. I’m still trying to figure out how I can factor this into my teaching and career building.

Thanks for reading! For more information on performances, teaching, and career building resources, please join Candice’s mailing list. (A Free Career Jumpstart Guide is included when you join!)



Boundaries: The Magic Words “Yes” and “No”

When I was in college, and throughout my twenties, the word “yes” was my magic word. I was young, full of energy, and madly desiring of a life in music. I said “yes” to everything.

“Yes” was the word that took me to a Vancouver, Miami, and Rome, “Yes” was the word that got me a well paid summer gig where I worked with union costumers,

“Yes” got me a lot of magic, and I was the “yes” girl for years.

But, there was a huge problem with the magic word, “yes”…

I was constantly over-committed and burned out.

Over time I started to realize that I could no longer function as the “yes” girl. I needed a new strategy.

The answer came to me in the form of a podcast that I have practically memorized. Rob Bell’s Robcast episode number 164, As Yourself.

I won’t go into the details of the episode. I also link to it with the disclaimer that it primarily discusses the Christian viewpoint and is heavily theological. There was a point in my life when I was very involved in the study of theology and philosophy, I’m in a different season now, but this particular podcast is one I come back to frequently. It changed my perception forever.

Unfortunately, in the arts, often we need to put ourselves in a position to say “no”. We need to be financially stable, and sometimes that means working a lot, working jobs you don’t enjoy, or simply burning the candle at both ends. However, there is a point when you cannot function like that anymore.

This is the point where you need to enforce some boundaries.

Boundaries means keeping the magic word “yes” and adding the magic word “no”.

“Boundaries” is something of a buzzword these days. There is a brilliant movement happening where people are becoming more aware of their energy in relationship to their health and authenticity.

Brene Brown, one of my favorite thought leaders, discusses this idea in her books. She even has a ring she uses to discern her boundaries. Every time someone asks her for something, she spins the ring on her finger and really thinks through the decision.

If you identify as female, Kate Northrup also discusses this from a hormonal perspective. In her research, she found that the female brain prioritizes things like connection and belonging. This is why those of us who identify female, often struggle with the “yes” factor.

Once I had this understanding of how I was wired, I decided to implement my boundaries. I quickly realized that saying “no” to certain things also meant saying “yes” to myself.

Here are a few other things to consider on your journey into boundaries:

• Pay attention to your feelings, they are providing information.

• You teach people how to treat you.

• The music world is a big place. If you say “no”, more than likely someone else can say “yes”.

• No is not a complete sentence. I disagree with the old adage. Humans are creatures build to wonder “why”. A short, succinct explanation is all you need when asserting boundaries.

• It is far better to deal with a little discomfort in the beginning than to end up overworked, stressed, and resentful later. Always play the tape of your commitment to the end.

Thanks for reading! For more information on performances, teaching, and career building resources, please join Candice’s mailing list. (A Free Career Jumpstart Guide is included when you join!)

Artistic Career Money Management Workbook

Money.

If I ask artists about their biggest hurdle to thriving in their career, money almost always factors into the conversation.

I decided to put together a comprehensive, stand alone guide to managing your money as an artist. In this guide you will get:

1. A step-by-step plan on how to tackle your finances.

2. Exercises to shift your money mindset.

3. An explanation of income types.

4. A guideline to set your hourly rates.

5. Other helpful management techniques.

   This workbook will be on sale for $7.00 until the end of September. (Full price is $10.00).

Get the workbook here.

If you have any other great ideas or tools for managing money as an artist, email me at candice.shaughnessy@gmail.com!

If you are interested in more career advice, singing advice, or you would like to know where I am performing next, please subscribe to my newsletter using the form at the bottom of the page. Newsletter emails are usually sent monthly or bi-monthly.

Career Jumpstart Series - Step Four: Points of Focus

We have all been at a party where someone asks us:

“So, what do you do?”

What’s your response?

Ten years ago when I was trying to make a living and taking every opportunity possible, I always found that a difficult question to answer. Should I tell them I’m an opera singer, even though most of my money is made from teaching? How do I define myself even though I’m not where I want to be?

I want you to look at yesterday’s post about “why”. What did you say your beliefs were?

Now, based on those beliefs, make a statement about who you are. Again, word it in the first person:

I am a…

There are no limits and no rules to this exercise. If you have not found your niche yet, that’s fine, say what you would be ideally. As soon as you start to say you are something, your psychology will catch up with you.

I hope this series has been a helpful jumpstart towards your career goals. If you are interested in filling out the free guide, you can find it here.

What other artistic career things would you like to see me write about? Send me an email about it here!

Career Jumpstart Series - Step Three: Why?

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” -Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek has a great TED Talk where he discusses the importance of this idea. I highly recommend watching it and taking notes. He also has a great book called Start With Why, elaborating on this idea.

Write down three “I believe…” statements in the first person. This will form your philosophy as an artist, and is an easy point of reference for yourself moving forward. The more focused you are on your “why?” the easier it will be to focus yourself in a few key areas so you can find your points of focus.

Next time we will discuss points of focus in your career.

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Career Jumpstart Series - Step Two: Income Goals

Welcome back to my four-part career jumpstart series! In the first section, I talked about general goals. In this section I am going to talk about income goals. I think this is one of the most crucial steps in building an artistic career, and one that often gets overlooked.

This is a breakdown that I was taught in a class. Andrew Simonet also goes through a similar process in his Artists U workbook. The purpose of this exercise is to get you thinking differently about the cost-benefit of opportunities you may run across.

Set yourself an income goal to reach in ten years.

Word it like this:

I make $______________________ annually.

There are about 52 weeks in a year.

How many weeks a year do you want to take vacation?

52 weeks - # of weeks of vacation = ideal number of weeks working out of the year: _____________

Now, take your annual income goal number and divide that by the number of weeks per year.

Ideal number of working weeks/ideal annual income = weekly pay: ________

Now divide that by the number of hours you want to work per week.

Weekly pay/ideal number of hours you want to work per week = hourly rate.

This hourly rate is important. Even if it currently seems unfathomable, it is something that is going to turn the wheels of your brain in a new direction.

My hourly rate is $_________________

Are you shocked at your hourly rate?

We all know that you will run into some opportunities that will not be paid by the hour. However, I think this is a good reference point for cost-benefit analysis of future opportunities. If you are looking for an easy way to cost-benefit analyze opportunities, check out my guide for cost-benefit analysis.

Next time, we will talk about the second step, “Why?”.

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Career Jumpstart Series - Step One: Goal Setting

“Ugh. Goal setting?”

The older and more cynical I got, the more I resented goal setting. I would pick up a self-help book or listen to an audio book and someone would say those two words. I would then have a very visceral negative reaction.

I was all about goals in high school and college. I was laser focused and I believed wholeheartedly in goals. I was a Music Education major, so my training was all about learning objectives and getting specific. My career seemed really black and white. I thought if you set goals and worked hard enough, things would go your way.

Then I got out of school and discovered that life is really messy. Psychology is very messy. Things don’t always go the way you plan. Life is not black and white, and hard work guarantees nothing.

Then, around six months ago, I read a friend’s article about setting long term goals and my perspective was profoundly changed. I figured out a few things.

Here are a few things goal setting is:

• A blueprint for your brain, not unlike plans for an architect to build a house.

• A tool to shape your values.

• A way to discern the best options to move forward.

• Something to refer to when considering a new opportunity.

• Changeable and flexible as you age and experience life.

Here is what goal setting is not:

• A guarantee.

• Something to go after without the thought of the cost to yourself and others.

• Something you failed at if you did not achieve it by X deadline.

One of the first conversations I have with a friend or client involves some form of the phrase “what are your goals?”, get big, state them in first person, and be specific.

In my experience, goals are the basis on which everything else is formed. If you set goals you will find your values, figure out your reasoning as to why you do things, and be able to build your career in the direction you want to see it go.

Recently, I wrote this step-by-step guide to help jumpstart your artistic career. Goal setting is the first exercise.

Next time, we will talk about the second step, income goals.

If if you would like more information on my teaching, performances, or career building resources, please subscribe to my newsletter using the form at the bottom of the page.