The younger generation of singers....catch them in time ...

When I first started 'helping' singers with my quirky (as one 'singing teacher' labelled it ..!) Extended Breathing and Vocal Focus routine, it was found to be most beneficial to more experienced singers, actors, and members of the general public with respiratory and phonation problems, who'd been referred to me by physicians. It all started when I made a remarkable recovery after a devastating fire accident, which 'kippered' my lungs. My instinct invented exercises and procedures which eventually restored the semblance of a lifegiving breathing system - which was great, because that's how I learned the simple process of respiration and I've never looked back !! Over the years I've had some wonderful moments of sheer magic when helping a person enjoy an enhanced quality of life, especially with the voice...whatever their occupation or profession. Much more frequently now, I'm approached by the younger generation who've heard the results of 'Simsonic Ping' and are eager to discover it's secrets....well, there are no secrets to it, just a careful connection and synchronisation of air and body - simple as that - and there's the rub. The most difficult thing to explain is - simplicity - ever tried it ..? Eleanor (Hemmens) a dedicated undergraduate at The University of London, reading English, attended a Master Class given by Rosalind (Plowright) at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and as some of you regular bloggers will know, was the 'baby ' of the class - deemed too young by some members of staff, but Rosalind took her on, sensing a latent talent. We've been breathing regularly since then and Ellie has just been cast as 'Belinda' in Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas', promoted by the music dept.. O.K.? The irony is that Ellie, and the ' Dido', are the only un-trained (or as I see it, unpolluted by 'singing teachers') members of the cast - naughty, naughty Sims.... if you took my hint and viewed Emma (Grimsley) yesterday on You Tube you may agree with me..? Congratulations Ellie, I wish you every success, you truly deserve it for your application, determination and inspiration - my breathers always inspire me - the feeling is mutual. In Stockholm recently, Anna 'la la ' Larsson, winner of the Swedish Opera Magazine 'Artist of the Year 2008', and I enjoyed a very happy, fun session showing Beatrice Orler, a gifted young singer studying at Kulturama, that unconventional "Palace of Creativity" (my title for Eva Haglund's domain) where Anna regularly gives Master Classes - I repeat - 'Catch them in time' and so, k..p b.......g and warm.....

Snow - 'common sense' is rare..

Hello from snowbound Berko (Berkhamsted) England. I've just returned from Sweden ,where the dangers of snow chaos are respected, and I cannot believe the degree of stupidity exercised by people here...O.K., so we don't often have a freeze up, but surely it is obvious that if four teenage girls sit on an old car roof and 'sledge' down a steep slope into a barbed wire fence - it will end in disaster..? Even without the snow to accelerate the descent it would be exceedingly ill advised to try it...so we have a lovely teenage girl very dead...what a waste for want of 'common sense'.... Due to a mild snowfall, thousands of schools were closed, parents had to stay at home to look after them if they couldn't arrange for carers, etc., etc.. The best 'silly story' was that in one town , the gas system was overloaded by central heating systems going at full blast - and failing. So the school management brought in dozens of electric heaters for each teaching area, put them on at full - and blew the town's electricity supply ..hmmmm....the mind boggles....how did homo sapiens survive this long .....just lucky - the secret ingredient for a happy life - luckily I was born lucky, or I wouldn' be around now...The journey to Sweden was frought with mis -communication but - luckily, I was granted several minor miracles - so it all worked out successfully - and how ..!! Breathing with members of the Malmo Symphony Orchestra was extraordinarily spectacular - even I was amazed by a session with Britt, a dolly young flutist - who , in one session, found out how to float a loooong Debussy phrase in 'The girl with the flaxen hair' - so appropraite as that describes Britt !! My time with the Orchestra is one of the most enjoyable I've ever had - all smiles and happiness, and that springs from their gifted Maestro Vassily Sainosky, the distinguished International ( huggable) Russian giant. He 'found' sounds that I've never heard before in the 'Cosi' score - and - he likes (good, as he pointed out !) singers - what a boon. The 'icing on the cake' for me was the evolution of Lisa Larsson, making her 'Fiordiligi' debut...and what a revelation that was/is...!! I always like to hear artists who use the Simsonic Ping routine - and Lisa was pinging away brilliantly - deserving the standing ovation she so rightly drew from the elated audience .... much more to come ..congratulations 'Fiordilisa', your teacher must be truly proud of your achievements.... so please k..p b.......g , all you lovely 'Simsonicpingers'....XXX

Things are happening Simsonic breathing - wise....

After so many years instructing a vast number of, mainly singers, to synchronise their breathing and achieve that legendary ability to 'support' the voice, there is a definite sensation that supported breathing is 'taking over ' for many who have persevered with my ' Extended Breathing' technique, the which is entirely beneficial to all professional voice users, and hundreds of patients with respiratory malfunction ...at last ..! That prompts one into thinking maybe I should retire graciously now, and simply enjoy the result - listening to wonderful voices wafting gentle pianissimo, soaring magnificent fortissimo, and languishing in sumptious legato...aaaaah ...such a privilege to have been trusted by so many in the art of singing, especially for those whose original talents and gifts have been perverted by a fee charging opportunist in the guise of 'Singing Teacher'. In 1915 Thomas Beecham wrote in the London Daily Chronicle - " The Tragi-Comedy of English Singing". 'There is one branch of musical art in which there is to be discerned, not only no advance of any kind, but a distinct movement of decline, and the responsibility of blame may fairly be divided between the singers themselves and those to whom has been entrusted the task of their education. We have an enormous number of first rate singing students and yet, with a population of forty six million a selection of the best native vocalists would hardly complete the necessary personnel of a single good opera company. Undoubtedly the main cause is to be found in the deplorable system of training most of them have received, either in the great schools of music, or from private teachers. There can be no question that almost the greatest drawback is the scarcity of good singing masters, the appalling overgrowth of bungling incompetence that dare to imagine that without the smallest qualifications it can mould the most delicately sensitive and beautiful of instruments in the world...' So there you go - not a lot has changed in the interim; many of my contacts , who have spent thousands being 'trained' to sing are thoroughly disappointed after years in various establishments - and go into another business ......The main element missing to my knowledge is the art of breathing....a subject that seems to elude many 'singing teachers' - which is why I am not classified as a singing teacher.......such arrogance, but I am very happy with that ' cause what I do ...works .....na na nana na.....k..p b.......g all my Dear 'believers'...x

Congatulations Anna La La .....

What a way to start the year - Anna (Larsson) has been awarded the honour of recognition for her amazing portrayal of "Orfee", in the Gluck/Berlioz version, produced brilliantly by Mats Ek, the ballet dancer/choreographer at Kungliga Operan Stockholm last year, by The Swedish Opera magazine. Having been privileged to attend rehearsals, and several perrformances, the staging is etched in my memory as one of the most extraordinary events in the operatic world, bar none...let's have more from this creative genius. Who will ever forget the remarkable singing from a contralto with an almighty vocal range - oh , those cadenziii ...and heartbreaking "Che faro"...Even more amazing, the physical fluidity, especially in the scenes with her wonderfully sympatico, and heart renderingly lovely Lisa Larsson; her Euridice really tore at the heart strings, but finally triumphant ! Such a convincing 'couple', it really worked with them histrionically ... congratulations all round....This month I'm hoping to 'catch up' with Anna's 'Dalilah', at Kungliga Operan - another treat for opera lovers - don't miss it .....Let's hope the powers that be are able to record these rare performances for posterity, it's so easy nowadays - just think what has been lost by managements over the years...I guess it all boils down to cost finances, and sponsorship...Perhaps I could persuade B & B to invest some of their 'Mamma Mia' cash into classical music ...?? Their dvd has sold more copies here in the U.K. than any other ever - quite right, I looove it - 'speshly Meryl Streep - 'The Winner takes it all' scene - stupenduos - this IS no end to her talent...It's a bit chilly here. Today we have about one and a half inches of snow - thirty five centimetres - result, chaos on all transport, as usual... With the current financial situation and cost of fuel, we are resorting to wartime measures to heat rooms. One of the most effective is to place a night or tealight in a terra cotta flower pot, and cover it with another upturned pot, slightly smaller - you'd be surprised how well that can stop frost chilling a room...don't forget to light the candle...and be careful with any 'naked' lights - never leave them unattended, or in an empty house .... apart from that the best thing to do is winter abroad! Two of my oldest friends spend two months in Cape town, through December and January - hope you're having fun George and Dottie of Arundel....At the weekend I go to Lisbon, Portugal, and 'have a breathe or two' with the amazing Rosalind (Plowright) , I gather it's a lot warmer there - and oooh, those Portugese custard tarts....mmmm.....almost as scrumptious as Swiss Fondue, savoury or sweet.....and Austrian zachertorte - the bonuses of tripping around the world with wonderful 'breathers' .....I hope to live to a ripe old age if this is how it's going to be...happy days to you all, and don't forget to k..p b.......g .....

Magnificat SHADY ...has left us .....puuurring......

Over the past few days Shady has declined in health to an alarming degree, and I had booked him in at the vets for merciful euthenasia on Wednesday 17th., but today, he was stumbling about the house heartbreakingly, so I arranged to take him for 'release' this afternoon. Rosalind (Plowright) had arranged to come for a breathe, so she was able to help me take Shady down town for the appointment, thank you so much for that Rosalind X. We gently loaded a very weak Shady into a large, soft cotton beach bag, tucked in with a towel, and Rosalind drove us to the vets. We had to wait a little, during which time Shady lay quietly, snuggled up in the bag, occasionally stretching out a paw and stroking my cheek. I tickled him on the nose and under his chin and he purred softly......such a fond farewell.... Eventually we were called into the surgery and Shady was carefully removed from the bag - no fuss or bother. He could only just stand on the table as the vet examined him and explained that Shady's eyesight was almost nil, and he had lost so much weight because he hadn't eaten for about a week, only sipped water occasionally, just a little bundle of skin and bone. "You are very kind to let him go, if only more owners thought of the animals' welfare it would prevent so much unnecessary suffering; it's time for Shady to go .." He gave the furry bundle a big hug, and I left them there - that's how I'll remember my furry friend - still breathing...just...Yes, warm tears are trickling slowly down my cheeks, but they're not sad, only in celebration of a dear little soft, silky friend of many years, which started when I lived in the cottage with him at 'Fairways', Kiri's previous house in the middle of a golf course in Surrey - many of my Swedish breathers will have met him there too.....Goodbye Dear Friend, thankyou for protecting me over those years, for that is how I felt you to be, now a new era is beginning ... and maybe there'll be a winged 'Shadypuss' flying around the world with me, serenading with his amazing baritone ? It's all in the mind y'know.... - same as singing.. Without imagination it doesn't reach the heart of the listener, so keep creating vocal magic my wonderful breathers, and most importantly .....keep b.......g.......puuuurrr.....

The legendary 'Shady' - on his last legs.....mmmmm

Having been abroad for a few days I noticed a very marked difference in Shady's condition on my return to Berko.....for those who don't know him, Shady is the lovely old jet black, silky velvet furred cat whom I 'inherited' from Kiri (te K) when she moved out of Leatherhead, Surrey in to London - no pets allowed in the new home. Shady and I met originally when I lived at Kiri's, after I retired as Studio Controller of The University of Birmingham Performing Arts Department. Kiri was returning from a stint as principal soprano of The Metropolitan Opera, New York, and invited me to join her and the family, residing in their garden cottage - " to be around, restore their antiques which had suffered the ravages of central heating in their American house, drive them around as required, and 'just be useful' " ..! Those were very happy years, and several Swedish singers joined me there to 'have a breathe' at Kiri's invitation. Eventually the breathing took over, and when Kiri moved, I returned to Hertfordshire, but have spent much of my time since then in Sweden. Shady is quite a character, and whilst at the Leatherhead house was often in some crisis or other...he would climb out onto a low branch of an oak tree, several feet out over the lake, stocked with golden carp, try to catch a fish - fall in, and drag himself out through slimy, smelly mud, looking more like a large rat than a cat - !! One dark evening he went missing and a general search was made. He could be heard mewing loudly, but we couldn't see him - until a torch beam revealed him 20 feet up a tree, scared and unwilling to venture down. A ladder was found and Shady was retrieved by a brave man who brought him down on his shoulder - which Shady clung on to with very sharp claws - ouch...He, Shady then walked elegantly away, tail straight up, head held high as though nothing untoward had happened - tttttt..! What a feline character.... In his prime he loved to chase a woolly toy, stuffed with catnip, at the end of a long cane, jump on it, and scrag the hell out of it with his back paws - those were the days, such fun...Today he is looking very frail, haunches (hips) unsteady, thin, eyesight failing, not eating, only sipping water, nor singing in his usual impressive baritone, so I called the vet who thinks it would be better to let Shady go to 'catty paradise' before I go away again next week - it will be an awful wrench in the heart - he's over twenty years old and lived here in Berko since 1994 ....now his breathing is sounding a little bronchitic, so it's time to go Dear Moggy....hope you're all feeling fit and well.....k..p b.......g....

So many 'lost' voices.....mmmmm....

Have you noticed how many people, especially in showbiz, are 'losing' their voices lately - can't remember such a 'plague' being so rife ? Maybe it's connected with air pollution, one can often 'feel' an uncomfortable roughness when inhaling, especially inside aircraft, or even in the garden when under a flight path. On a long haul flight from the Far East, when the lighting was lowered to allow passengers to sleep, one individual reading light was left on - and in the tiny, bright beam, an incredible swirling mass of dust and particles was astonishing ! I immediately put a silken scarf over my head in an effort to avoid taking in lungfuls of heaven knows what, and still do, much to the amusement of air crew, and fellow passengers alike....Might be an idea to try using filter masks experimentally - can you imagine the outcry at such a suggestion, but it might save a lot of working hours, and medication costs for the N.H.S. (British National Health Service).... Now I always use nose oil prior to embarking, available easily in Sweden in a little 'squirty' bottle, and lately an American product, given to me by a kind singer friend, using drops on a cotton wool bud, applied up the nasal passages.....so far, so good.... No 'blogging', lately as I've been 'in orbit' to breathe with some really exciting singers, all very experienced, who shall be nameless, and it's such a treat to 'find' new inspiration with all of them. I must be the luckiest soul alive to be blessed with such a fruitful life at a time when most are declining into inactivity etc..... One of my best breathers told me that three elderly members of their family died on the same day Dec.2nd 2008 ...personally, breathing 'for a living' is keeping me healthy and active due to the inspiration I derive from my 'regular', devoted breathers - thankyou all so much... Have to confess that, apart from becoming tired more often- (well, there has to be something to complain about or life wouldn't be worth living), I feel healthier than ever before - must be something wrong with me... At this very moment I'm wrestling with an equally lively, ancient moggy who wants to help me write this - yes, Shady, K.te K's beloved, and very affectionate old cat - and he never loses his loud baritone catterwalling - but he never uses public transport.....hmmm.....Am about to go flying again, so won't be writing for a few days - and the first Christmas cards are arriving already.... please k..p b....... good luck...