I know I’m not alone when I say that there are a lot of things in business and life that I have zero affinity for.  I’m not a tech person, my administrative skills are so-so at best and I am not a naturally organized person.  At the start of ...

As a freelance musician with an over twenty-year career, I am often asked for advice from younger musicians who are coming up.  My number one piece of career advice?  GET YOUR FINANCIAL HOUSE IN ORDER.  Why?  Because being a musician, an artist ...

We’re in the middle of summer here in the US and yet we’re already seeing signs of fall.  Back to school sales are in full swing in every store everywhere. Now that I’ve had a little time to rest and work on a few projects, I’m starting ...

When I was in high school, music teachers weren’t always sure what to do with me.  I knew a lot of theory and information, which meant that my teachers were constantly giving me new information about jazz theory and improvising techniques.  The ...

Summer is here and your Facebook feed is full of photos of colleagues and friends singing and smiling at the many workshops, conferences and institutes that are being offered at colleges and retreat spaces all over the world.  And you’re quietly ...

I was browsing at the library the other day and came across this booked called “Bored and Briliant  – How spacing out can unlock your most productive and creative self”.  I was completely intrigued. ...

You may have read my recent posts on both my artist Facebook page and the Facebook page for my course Piano Skills for Singers.  If  you missed it, here it is As I’m sure you’re all aware, I have been extremely active as a private ...

Chances are, every time you sit down to play piano you are making mistakes at some point. Have you ever taken a moment to identify what those things are? Try this: the next time you are teaching a voice lesson, running a choral rehearsal or just ...

Everybody has hairy monsters in the life. You know them. The list of difficult tasks that you’ve been meaning to get to and have been avoiding for months or maybe even years. You know you need to do them. You know they are high value. But they ...

As a longtime teacher of music, and even longer student of music, I have had the opportunity to learn via trial and error many methods that have served me and my students. Since we’re getting ready for back to school, and I’m getting ready to ...

Now that summer is winding down and our minds are on the back to school crunch, I have been getting several questions on how to prepare to start up piano/voice lessons again after summer holidays, or really any holidays when you’ve been away from ...

I have been thinking and reading a lot about limiting beliefs and how our brains can be programmed to think something is impossible even if it isn’t.  These limiting beliefs hold us back from moving forward in our lives, our relationships ...

The Paperless Studio – How Getting Rid of the paper saved my sanity and saved me a ton of money! Paper is an often complained about component of adult life.  We are inundated with junk mail, catalogues and papers that pile up on all available ...

Movie Mondays: Here is a video compilation of cross genre singing. Shot at USQ in Toowoomba, Australia in January 2017. #alarynxisalarynx #svw   ...

By: Brenda Earle Stokes, BFA, M.Mus In 2016, after a bad bout of reflux, I noticed that my voice was getting hoarse.  Assuming that it was some combination of my allergies and fatigue from life in general, I did a little voice rest and drank extra ...

An Interview with SLP Leanne Goldberg MS, CCC-SLP By Brenda Earle Stokes, BFA, M.Mus. Leanne Goldberg is a Speech and Language Pathologist at the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Back in 2016, I was ...

Allergies be gone! An Interview with my allergist Dr. Michael Lewin Required listening…Allergies by Barenaked Ladies It’s April in NYC and just we’re getting excited to finally put away our heavy coats and observe the buds on the ...

Allergies are rampant these days, and can be especially debilitating for singers.  Allergies can cause stuffed nose, mucus in the throat, coughing, sneezing and even wheezing.  Left untreated, laryngitis and other vocal issues can rear their ugly ...

My first instrument is piano. Lessons starting at age 4, Royal Conservatory training until grade 9, when I quit to take up jazz piano full time. I spent the entire four years of university transcribing Bud Powell solos and practicing in the “ ...

I get asked this question all the time!!  “How do I get my kids to practice???”  Here are a few suggestions coming from a professional piano/voice teacher and piano mom (my son is now in lessons!) ...